Circo de la Luna
by Pikana
Summary: The Circus of the Moon is a place of horror, tragedy and fantasy. It is not a single story but several, woven to one. My name is Ringmaster Ike Griel and I am the leader of this group of humans. I will take you through these horrible tales of my crew. I must warn you now, we are not good people and we're all messed up in some way... But believe in us for we are humanity's last hope
1. Welcome to the show

Circo de la Luna

If you're upset that there are so many descriptions and not enough plot, don't rant it to me. This was a writing experiment to see how many descriptions I could get out into the open within a minimum five thousand word range. **This is a long introduction character. If you are a lazy reader and honestly can't read it all, then see the next chapter**

**But PLEASE read all of it!**

Yes this is bloody procrastination. You all know I'm famous for that.

I own nothing!

The title means Circus of the Moon btw...

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A red-cloaked man standing not too far away received a raised eyebrow as the cloaked man wiped off crimson blood from the back of his black gloved hand. To the world: the red-cloaked person was once renowned and feared mercenary. However: here, under the pale full moon, he was so much worse.

He snickered at the confused expression of the most innocent of his crew members: eyes of light blue that the teen wore etched with caution and uncertainty. He liked that in his employees. Even though not all of them would give the same expression to him, he liked them all. That's why he took up old Mario's job when he died. For the expressions people gave him and to the other members of his beautiful exhibition of fear.

"Wha... what do you want sir...?" The cloaked man heard the voice as he walked over towards the younger blue haired teen and gave him grin.

"Drop your hat onto the floor." He ordered, meaning the brightly colored one on top of his head. When the striped yellow and red party hat was discarded, leaving nothing but the wearer's gold tiara-headband, the gloved man shoved something into the slimmer one's hands. "Just stand there and hold this..." The leader cackleded as the look in the shorter being's eyes showed confusion when he began reading what the small, colorful sign had printed on it.

It reminded the man of the first time the teen named Marth arrived; looking so confused and slightly intimated by the ex-mercenary. He didn't actually want Marth to begin with and the other teen not wanting anything to do with him; but the master of this... world was "convinced" by a person whom he did want in his cast. She wanted to join him, but she didn't want to leave Marth- who was like a brother to her- behind. Unfortunately, Marth didn't hold the same talent as her so he had to leave Marth with clowning around during his little performances and this job. To be honest, this job was something fairly easy and a very ingenious scheme -if he did say so himself.

"Admit it Marth... with your natural looks, it would be irresistible for those teenage anthros to resist."

Speaking of the woman...

"I guess so... still..."

"Marth, don't be vain. You still look fine; the master did a great job on you as usual." The woman said with a grin on her gorgeous face as she slowly and gracefully cart-wheeled towards the two men. The red-cloaked man gave a hearty chuckle and looked upon his creations.

The shy, soft-spoken blue- haired Marth was once starving, frowning, and covered in rags- as all of them did- when humans started to become a dying race. Now his garb would tell an onlooker how healthy and happy he was -well as happy as you can be in a place filled with psychopaths. The costume was a half white, half blue jumpsuit with numerous colored spots and patches reds, blues, and yellows. The colorful ensemble set off the happy patchwork heart in the center which sagged slightly on his thin body. A red and yellow belt adorned his waist and matching yellow shoes were on his feet that opposed the blues and whites of his gloves. His slender, feminine face was now covered in copious amounts of make up, mostly white, with a bit of red on his nose and a bright blue star on top of his right eye.

He was the perfect clown. He wasn't scary at all, being the most innocent, which was no surprise to the ringmaster. Not like the youngest members of the group, Nana and Popo: they were not the same type of clowns and they behaved in a much more sinful way.

The other gracing his company was a pony-tailed blonde. She had now come even closer, chuckling upon seeing her clown friend even though the slight glimmer in her eyes showed that she still feared the master. Who wouldn't with his tremendous temper and unusual punishments? The master gave a small laugh and looked at the woman whose athletic ability and flexible body parts astounded even him after three years.

With her brave attitude and how she was capable of running and jumping heights far past normal human ability, as well as surviving falls that would otherwise kill an ordinary person, it was obvious why the ring master wanted her here. While she didn't exhibit any powers that ordinary humans didn't naturally have, all of the physical human limits she had have been exceeded to the max.

Her curvaceous, limber figure, that allowed her to crawl through tunnels and gaps that would normally be inaccessible to anyone else, was covered in a tight light blue two piece outfit. One part went over her large chest and small matching shorts and slippers that matched the numerous tight gold bangles and chokers around her neck, arms, and legs with shoulders. The final touch to her simple, sexy outfit was blue which silk hung around each arm; making her look like an exotic dancer.

"How is my acrobat today? Keeping out of trouble are you?"

"Yes, Ringmaster," Samus responded carefully.

"Good... and where's my opening act?"

"Practicing her performance with our strongman."

"Ahhh... well let us hope we do not lose another one. Come Samus, we have to get ready for the show. And Marth... don't forget to look cute."

"What happened to free hugs?" Marth muttered as he stepped outside into the night with the glowing sign. The master ignored him and walked off; leaving Samus doing slow, scandalous backflips as she followed the red-cloaked master and Marth the Clown to sell his hugs for five dollars.

"Are we ready for today's show?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, Shiny, everything is..." Samus never got to answer for as soon as she was upright, her neck had a long black cane against it. She coughed as one of Ike's hands grabbed the back of her neck and increased the pressure.

"Did you just call me 'Shiny'? You know I hate that..." Samus gave a whimper as she nodded, suddenly afraid of the consequences. Usually she wasn't on this end of his bad-side: that was usually left with the knife thrower whom constantly annoyed the ringmaster to death, but it had seemed that she had accidentally pushed his buttons. It wasn't her fault, really. In all honesty, it was the knife thrower who gave the ringmaster that nickname since he acted like 'he was worth a million diamonds', despite his undying hate for any thing that sparkled. It involved something about his past but no one else in the circus knew about the ringmaster's back-story. Ever since the circus opened, no one seemed to know of the dreaded ringmaster.

"Master..." Samus coughed. The muscular man glared before carelessly dropped her and adjusted his red top hat with a tattered green headband -it acted as a ribbon, decorating the fancy headgear. As he walked to the backstage tent, he could hear Samus gasping for air from his tight grasp. Before long she suddenly began running after him as he began tapping the ground occasionally with his deadly cane.

There was silence between the two as the ringmaster and acrobat went from the main midnight black tent, where they'd perform in front of the crowd later, to a smaller, more modest tent that was a splattered red cover. The ringmaster grinned as Samus gave her usual small shiver at the sight of the torch illuminated tent. They both knew it used to be white before the humans began to die away... and the ringmaster's pet may have done something about it.

Greeting their eyes as they stepped inside, the two found a blindfolded woman who was cackling while the ringmaster's strong man screamed for mercy. Sitting on top of a nearby cage, Circo de Luna's fire breather was watching, occasionally knocking the top of the metal prison to see if he got a reaction from the beast within.

The moon-intrigued man knew that he was a control-freak. He liked power and here in this tiny group, he had it. As a control-freak; he liked his rules as well as his helpings of pain and chaos. He also liked keeping track of things like the classes of the circus.

The ringmaster sat down on a nearby stool as Samus laughed and effortlessly front flipped over to where his knife thrower was, hoping to scare the crap out of her. The ring master let the cane roll around his fingers as he watched his group of carnies entertain themselves and thought about his circus ranks.

There were three of them. He had rated each circus performer according to their looks and the ability. The ringmaster always made sure he knew them so he could arrange order of their acts for the circus. No one liked a completely organized schedule, but people liked balance. He didn't, but he was a crowd pleaser after all, and he had to comply.

His clown, acrobat, fire-breather, and strong man were in the first class. They were good, no... his crew was the best; but you could find amateurs of their performances in any decent circus.

He was sad to admit he was not in the top, but the second level of the circus classes. True, he was the ringmaster and that automatically made him the most important, but his act with his pet was also fairly common. So was his knife-thrower's act but at least they were a little different. More... sadistic with their abilities and performances.

In the most unique and highest rank were where the last two members of his tiny circus were. The final clown was the creepiest of the lot and so was the little diva; but they were not here in the room. The ringmaster knew where they were, but calling his most prized, most hard-worked attractions would make no difference right now.

Because right now he had to go save his strong man's effin' ass.

"SHEIK YOU BITCH!" The slim boy yelled as he moved his head just in time for the knife to miss his face. The ringmaster snapped back into reality and groaned. He stormed towards the two girls. Samus was annoying his knife thrower to death and causing the armed woman to throw her various knives and needles in random directions. The ringmaster then lost his cool as a stray knife hit the wall, a piece of cloth hanging from the tip of the metal blade.

"You... just hit my hat." He could hear Sheik gulp as she stopped throwing and slowly removed her blindfold -praying she heard wrongly- then grinned nervously at the ringleader. She always, always pissed him off whether she wanted to or not... usually she did want to though. She was utterly unafraid of the consequences.

Unless it involved that prized hat or his beloved cane, Ragnell.

"Hi Ringmaster..." she started looking at the shirtless man; admiring his abs and low, baggy cream pants while shaking in fear. The ringmaster was like that; he was scary yet hot at the same time. Though now he was looking more like a demon then mere mortal.

She knew she was so screwed.

"I'll deal with you two after the show. Get out of my sight, now..." The two women nodded and ran off, knowing that he wouldn't be afraid to hospitalize them ("Being a woman is no excuse," he had always said.) as Ike cracked his knuckles. Giving a massage to his temples, the blue haired man stopped the spinning board, which his strong man was chained to, took out a key and sniffed the tight chains a little bit before unlocking them with the Master Key. Eggplants... Sheik knew that Pit hated those. "You okay?" he asked his strong man. The shorter boy looked up in surprise at his suddenly caring tone. As the newest member, he had heard of "Shiny's" kindness and care underneath his sadistic and harsh actions but he never actually believed it.

"Yes, sir..." The ringmaster gave something resembling a laugh and scuffed his mop of brown hair. Pit was probably one of the least human-like people in his little circus: coming only under the top class circus performers and his pet.

It was odd how he chose this strong man: he didn't look like Captain Falcon -the ringmaster never liked the old strongman anyway but was still rather pissed at Samus and Sheik when they "accidentally" killed him - with thick steroid-like abs and a mature face. Rather, Pit was still in his teens, not too far from the ringmaster himself. Pit's face, however, looked clear and innocent, with a set of pure blue eyes and a kindly, good natured mouth. He was small but well built, with muscular arms and strong, stately legs. He wore a pure white toga for his costume; which the ringmaster found amusing due the large and completely natural white wings sprouted from his back making him look like an angel. Around his left wrist hung twin gold rings, which he added for a bit of style... he had to do it or the constant blood stains made on the outfit would have looked very uncoordinated.

The dark ringmaster had simply chosen him because he had tremendous power that was unmatched by anyone even when he found him, with his soon-to-be new fire breather, mucking about on the streets. But Pit's strength was probably why the angel-looking boy was left carrying the luggage when they moved around.

"Well tidy yourself up before I fuck you to hell! Showtime starts in forty-five minutes!" the ringmaster suddenly yelled, snapping back into his tougher exterior. The boy smirked deviously and hesitated to run to his dressing room "What?"

"Were you serious about that?" The blue haired man growled and hit the strong man hard across the face. Pit winced as he clutched his bright red right cheek and ran off to his dressing room. Then suddenly, the ringmaster yelled after him after thinking for a minute about the boy's usual twisted and sickening words. "And no screwing anyone on the way! That includes you know who, you moron!"

"Why not?"

"I'm telling you right now you can't bang someone properly in half an hour!" That was the reason why he wasn't a real angel. Then again, neither was he. Pit groaned loudly but made a small noise letting the master know that he would obey.

"What a slut!" The fire-breather laughed playfully, "You showed him, Master!" The ringmaster raised an eyebrow at the shirtless red-haired boy but said nothing. Roy reminded him of himself when he was five: sugar-high, crazy, and hyperactive. Ignoring the fact he was shorter, had red hair, was a pyrokinetic genius and enjoyed his suffering from pyromania, you would have a split replica of the current ringmaster.

"And... what else you lazy asshole?" he asked the shirtless pyro.

"Yes, I know sir... no sitting on your pet's cage or no fire for a week." Roy pouted as he jumped off, nearly ripping his blue jeans, and ran after his best friend Pit. "You're a meanie!" he called behind him.

"I'm not me if I'm not a meanie." The ringmaster responded nonchalantly. The spiky, dark blue haired man just shook his head as soon as Roy had disappeared from view.

Idiot.

Of course he was mean. After giving a pat to the quiet, metal cage, he smirked a little, picked up his hat and went off to find the last two members of his psychotic circus.

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Sheik had been at the circus nearly as long as the ringmaster's pet had, and knew quite a lot about their current "master". Not everything, but enough to know that if the master was having a major headache... too bad she was going to make it worse.

As she sat on her bed, in her trailer, and threw knives at a small target- with a picture of the leader of the new government, Fox McCloud. She smiled as she remembered the past. She may be in trouble with Shiny but she wasn't angry at him.

She had been recruited when she was younger because the ringmaster happened to notice her talent with knives, spikes... and pretty much anything else that managed to cut things. Sheik grinned inwardly at the memory.

She'd been on the run from the police after throwing eight daggers into the back of a jeweler -she got them back, of course- while making her escape with numerous bangles and gold necklaces. She still wore some even though most of the spoils she got that day were sold because of Shiny. The newly appointed ringmaster had offered to help her in exchange for her employment at the circus. At first, Sheik would admit to not being overly thrilled with the idea, but the sirens nearby had caused her to quickly make her decision.

She loved it here. Here, she could throw knives at people and not get in trouble for it. Hell, she even got paid to do it, which was a wonderful bonus. The kleptomaniac also got this gorgeous, sexy black bra -studded with fake diamonds that she was going to replace- and tight black shorts and heels for a costume that so matched her long, dirty-blonde plait. Totally her thing... well... if she had a ninja's outfit it would be her thing but the ringmaster would murder her before he got her a ninja's costume. You might as well say you're getting flammable pants for Roy and a sparkly shirt for the big Shiny himself.

Sheik was the one also proud to say that she and the ringmaster had a love-hate relationship. They would argue and fight, torment and injure each other but the bottom line was if she was in trouble she knew she could count on the Ringleader to bail her out (and bitch about how rude, obnoxious, devilish, twisted and maniacal she was which she ignored).

She was almost sorry that she was going to cause more pain to his head after he found her prank... almost…

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The two clowns had begun putting on their pink and blue striped uniform - but they were not two clowns. The two of them only needed one uniform because there was only one body that was stitched together with so many thick, black stitches they were more thread than flesh, and both heads were attached, side by side, by more black thread at the neck. Where threads met skin, small, intricate flowers were tattooed across their necks.

"Tonight seems pleasant enough! The moon is full and it is time to play! The circus is so fun!" The female head shrieked in laughed as she moved the arm her brain controlled to fix her hair. The head next to her laughed as well and took his sister's hand into his own

"Sister, relax. No need to matter on such trivial things as your hair. You look perfect as always." The female head giggled and licked her brother on the nose

"You always know what to say Popo. I couldn't ask for a better head to share a body with." she said with a light smile

"As can't I. Destiny was very kind to leading our bodies to Mister Mario," The male head responded as he looked at the other head's eyes. "He made us have new life when we were sick... he gave us a home and friends when our family cast us out."

"I'm so sad he's gone... it's been years yet I miss him..."

"Do not fret, Nana... Mister Mario has bonded us together forever and has left us with a new ringmaster. We will have fun!" Nana giggled leaned her head over gently to kiss her brother's lips. They had each other and it seemed really perfect...

Yeah, hell, he was disturbing that peace.

"I should make a poster for that... 'Now featuring twincest to a whole new level!' or 'Selfcest with an extra head!' Seriously you two… get a room with a lock."

It...they...both of them turned around to see the chaotic, daunting ringmaster, chuckling as he leaned causally on the doorway and his cane. The two heads blushed as they turned away from their master.

"Lighten up you two." he said "Show starts in half an hour and you knuckle heads haven't even eaten. I know because that bitch took your eggplants for Pit."

"What?" Nana's head yelled. They knew only one person got that name from the ringmaster and they knew who was going to pay.

"Sheik took our eggplants?" Popo asked in an equally loud yell.

"We'll kill her!"

"Save your loud mouths for the show you two. I need her alive for now..." the ringmaster Ike suddenly laughed cruelly that sent shivers down the 'Y' shaped spine the two shared. "Have you seen my Diva? She's left her usual meditating spot..."

"She just left her trailer..." Nana started as she turned to bow to the ringmaster, Popo following at the slightest movement.

"She wanted to see if your pet was up yet or Pit could speak to her!" The male head said. "She's way too bipolar but she should be by your pet's cage!" The ex-mercenary made a slight tip of his top hat to show his thanks to the young kids. Even though most people would think the two statements were completely unrelated, the man could understand every twisted lie and riddle the two spun.

"You have half an hour, then Showtime," he muttered on the way out to check on the last member of his circus and his pet. The twins laughed as he left and shut the door, the cold man not even wanting to know what the equally insane twins were doing. Probably it involved one of Marth's shampoo bottles and Roy's sticks of dynamite.

The ringleader walked through the circus grounds and grinned wickedly as he saw, from a distance, the front entrance packed with people and heaps of female creatures with wads of cash lining up to give the poor disgruntled Marth a big hug. Right now, there was a small pink Pokemon trying to suffocate his clown. Hilarious. His smile faltered the tiniest bit when he saw the crowd. Ahh... it was much smaller then when they were in cities but at least here, in the dense forest, they were safe from any of the lousy authorities. They were so fucking annoying when they butted in.

He drew away from the trailer the two headed jester shared and headed back towards the small area outside the black circus top, ebony boots kicking up small pebbles as he went, to where his two prized acts were. He had instructed Roy earlier to take the cage from the crimson practice tent and he knew the cheery red head would have complied at the prospect of touching the sparkly night colored cage.

The ringmaster made his way over to where the cage with his pet inside and his finishing act was hiding. He could hear the crowd huddling up inside the main tent for the show to begin, so it was no surprise that the diva was cloaked and the cage was still covered by a black sheet. He coughed and headed towards the blonde diva who gasped as she swiveled to see his strong, angular face and his cool, intimidating smile.

"Lady Peach..." he said bowing to the cloaked woman in almost mock formality. Peach took the folds of her ripped pink dress and her cloak and curtsied back; the same fear instilled in the older woman's movements that Samus possessed around him.

"Master Ike... you're early." She looked up and the ringmaster stared at her directly in her azure blue eyes. "I... I didn't... I... I... didn't expect you." He raised an eyebrow. She seemed more nervous then usual... as if something bad was about to happen.

"Well why wouldn't you? The show is about to start... and take off that bloody cloak. You know it annoys me." Peach gave a small squeak and immediately ripped off her black possession. Again the ringmaster raised his eyebrow. Peach was never so willing to dispose of the dark colored garment. Usually, her vanity prevented it.

Her long and layered yellow-blonde hair bellowed out first, longer then even Sheik's, and framed her big sky-blue eyes and slender torso. However, her rosy complexion was long gone and her smile never quite reached her eyes ever since she became what she was.

The old ringmaster Mario was an illegal doctor/plastic surgeon, having been kicked out of the business ever since he was caught breaking some animal rights rubbish rules, but that never stopped the Italian ex-plumber to stop experimenting. Ike knew that his mentor, before he died in his sleep, had saved three lives: all of them who resided in the circus.

Nana and Popo, the twins, were suffering from an unknown disease, but were healed by the old man's quick and odd thinking to meld them into one.

His prized pet in the cage... a teenage boy who was shot several times and, out of Mario's uncanny knack of appearing at the right place and the right time, he was saved. At a price, yes, but the teenager was saved.

And then there was the widowed Mrs. Peach Mario; her husband's first experiment when she was on her deathbed. From a sickly, abnormally beautiful woman to a healthy abnormal hybrid. She looked nothing like the accursed fake, lovely furred creatures that littered the outside world; more of a freak between humans and them...

"Good girl..." the ringmaster said to her as he grabbed her black furred hands and looked at her face, seeing various resemblances to the Pokemon Lucario, "now tell me what happened that has you so worked up" His free hand moved towards the pink dress that hid her chunky blue thighs and he moved towards her pointed blue ears. "Tell me now..." was his final whisper.

"He was fed and..." His beautiful singing diva was about to respond some more when a sharp growl came from the cage behind him. Peach scurried out of the ringmaster's way and bolted out of the tent as he let go of her and walked towards the metal bars with a small smile on his face.

"Ahhh... Link. You're finally awake. It's time to play, Kitty." The ringmaster said as he took out his master key again, ripped off the sheet and unlocked the cage door. Two eyes glowed from the dark with feline characteristics and Ike got into a fighter's stance, cane and whip at hand, ready to see the teenager leap out and be ready to tear him to pieces.

A sharp fanged teenager, wearing nothing but skintight beige shirts, bounded out and ran towards him. An unruly mess of blonde hair, resembling a lion's mane, spiked all around him flew everywhere as the teen bounded towards him. Ike knew he had to take the creature head on because his ears, pointed up in a usual Hylian fashion, could hear his muscles tensing before he even moved. There was no point in wasting time. The blonde came at him on all fours, mutated lion's tail up in the air and long nails extracted. Any second now the creature would be attempting to kill him before the show...

...

...

...he meant kill him with his genetically altered claws and fangs in an attempt on his life. Not kill him by rubbing his head affectionately against his leg.

"Link..." he growled at the lion/human hybrid. Damn. He _knew_ Mario should have fused him with a wolf. Being a lion made him prone to pranks by Sheik, Samus, the twins and on occasion, Roy. Oh for the love of Yune... was he purring? The ringmaster grimaced and resisted the urge to start strangling and abusing his pet.

"WHO THE HELL PUT CATNIP IN LINK'S FOOD?" Ike yelled, not caring who heard. He didn't get any answer nor did he expect one. The others were either way too afraid to show up or perhaps laughing.

Taking a deep breath, the ringmaster calmed down and dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small silver pocket watch.

"And of course this just has to happen just before the show... Isn't this gre-"

"Meow!"

"Ah?" The first was a voice filled with love and affection which puzzled the ringmaster... a lot. No one spoke in his circus like that. The ringmaster then suddenly noticed that the weight against his leg was missing. Turning around he stared at the Lion. Link was supposed to be a fear-inducing, deluded and cannibalistic creature of the night. Far superior and more deadly then any common kitten. Instead, Ike saw nothing but a harmless boy rolling on his back, legs in the air, and looking sickeningly sweet at Ike in a dazed expression.

"Uh..." he honestly had no idea what to say as he looked at his most menacing act roll around. "I... the show..." he muttered looking back at the tent where he could hear the excited crowd gather for the opening of Circo de Luna's famous late night show.

"Nyaa-" came the cute cat-squeal from behind the ringmaster. His eye twitched and Ike was ready to puke. To do the performance without Link or with him in this state. Wait... scratch that. Neither was an option right now. The ringmaster knew what he had to do.

"Forget the damn show!" Ike yelled as he grabbed the fur around Link's neck. Instead of yelling or scratching the ringmaster, the lion looked up and blinked adorably at the bluenette. "We have their money anyway... you're coming with me kitty." he said as he began dragging the freakish performer away.

"Meow?"

As soon as he figured out who did this to Link, someone was going to die.

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Thanks to Blakeface and PitFTW for editing this!

Review


	2. Catnip and Crystal balls

Circo de la Luna

Which do you prefer. This chapter or the first chapter. I'm experimenting to see if you like more detail or not

Hurry up and vote in my poll!

I own nothing!

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"So... what's the story Peachy?" The fire breather asked as he sat around the wooden table in the half-Lucario's private trailer with four other performers. "Why did the ringmaster stop the show today? What did Sheik do this time?"

"Oh yeah, blame me straight away Roy, you flippin idiot," the knife-thrower commented rolling her blood red eyes, "and completely forget that Samus is more likely to get away with a prank when I'm not."

"Stop lying. We all know its you," the red head retorted.

"Hey... not saying anything. Just letting you guys know that it could possibly be her. You must be multi-talented Roy. You can talk and piss me off at the same time."

"Thanks... HEY!" The group shared a laugh at the red head's expense. Yep, this freakish carnival family was so definitely a good one; taking advantage of your demise at every single moment they could spare.

"Where is Samus anyway?" The blue haired clown asked, rubbing his makeup off onto a soft purple cloth.

"It's her turn with Pit today. We got to revive the race somehow," Sheik stated nonchalantly. Roy smirked as he saw Marth's visible, natural patches of skin flushed a hot red while the diva, Peach, began laughing quietly and patting the sane clown on the back, sympathetically. "He briefly mentioned that last night; when he was with me."

"Figures. I think you're the most active with him when you're not playing with master," said the two headed jester from the shadows, laughing in their usual creepy unison. "Then again, you spend a lot of time with the lion too..." The red-head raised an eyebrow as Sheik stuck up her middle finger.

The jester began to explain to its somewhat captivated audience. Each one doing their usual trick of finishing the other's sentences.

"It seems that every time we don't perform a show-" Popo started.

"Master throws a hissy fit-" Nana continued.

"And then people need to find a method to relax-"

"So they return to their trailers-"

"And then this circus becomes one giant orgasm," the two said together laughing. Roy looked at the two, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What's an orgasm?"

"What is this, Nana?" Popo asked the other head mockingly, "Roy doesn't know what an orgasm is?"

"Oh joy Popo, we get to corrupt another innocent soul! It's been so long since we last did someone."

"Indeed sister. Who shall do this? You or I?"

"No one will be corrupting Roy's... or Marth's innocence," the lucario woman said, shooting a hard, stonic look at the two. Roy smirked as he saw the clown's relieved expression plastered on his face. Immediately, the duo was silent and, when the blonde was sure they wouldn't start again, she sat down and took out a deck of cards. "I have seen in the future and I know that you shall soon find out what is happening, but my future sight abilities are limited. To see further and how we will fair, I will have to use the cards."

"Ten bucks says we're screwed," Sheik stated, coughing out a laugh from the others. However, the widow didn't say anything as she closed her eyes and shuffled the deck, letting her weak aura powers tap into the universe before stopping suddenly and flipping three cards face up on top of the small table.

Even Roy could tell that each card was for the past, present and future but he didn't say a word. The whole room was silent as the strawberry-blonde looked at the first card and frowned.

"Arcana 0: The Fool. It's upside down so someone here has been taking ill advised risks, impulsive action, and rash decisions."

"Don't need to tell us that. Sheik, get out of here. You're messing up Mrs. M's readings!" Roy laughed again. The dirty-blonde woman growled and hit the fire-thrower on the back of his head. No matter how much Sheik hurt him, she was still his friend, so Roy wasn't upset when he got up and watched the fortune-telling diva attentively as she looked again at her next card. A small smile appeared on her face as she told the card's meaning.

"Arcana 1: The Magician. It's right side up, so I see mastery of the material world, creative action and a willingness to take risks. I can also see the abilities to recognise one's own potential, the power to initiate, communication and wit."

"That's deep and so true..."

"You're right Popo. It is."

"How deep is Link's belly Nana? How much can it hold? Is it true it can hold a whole man?"

"I'm not sure. Marth could help us right?" Both heads of the clown gave a Cheshire Cat smile to the innocent clown who smiled nervously back. Roy shoved the duo with his foot and pointed to Peach. Her frown had appeared and deepened and a wave on unease passed them all as she revealed the last card.

"Arcana 13: Death. It's upside down so... expect change that is both painful and unpleasant in the future." Everyone grimaced. As far as they knew, ever since the diva had been operated on, her fortune-telling abilities had never failed her yet. So when she said 'painful and unpleasant,' they knew hell was coming for them.

"Oh feck. How long to we have until..." Sheik managed to cuss out before they all heard a loud megaphone roar from the main circus tent.

"ALL MEMBERS TO LINK'S CAGE NOW! OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER CAPTAIN FALCON INCIDENT!"

Cards were dropped, chairs were knocked over as the group scrambled to their feet and burst through the door of Peach's caravan. With Sheik far ahead in the lead and Peach gathering the stragglers behind, the group made it quickly through the night towards the brightly lit tent. The red one of course, the black one was only specially for performances. The ringmaster said that and even Roy knew that Master Ike was always strict about his only rule: Whatever he said, goes without question.

"Samus!" Nana yelled with glee.

"Pit!" Popo followed.

"Glad you could join us. Did you two have fun?" As the twins said this together, the others looked at their friends coming up to them. For a second, the pyro didn't recognise Samus with her long hair down but seeing the annoyed look that her face possessed, he knew it was her. Pit looked almost as disheveled; part of his white circus outfit slipping off his shoulder and his pants were on backwards. The group withheld the laugh that they wanted to give the messy two. Right now their main problems lay with the dreaded ringmaster of the Circo de la Luna.

"Oh my Yune..." Marth said, putting a hand over his mouth and almost vomiting. One by one, the group followed the clown's lead and needless to say they were all pretty horrified. While Peach was the only one who remained calm and Marth continued doing what he did, Roy joined the other four's scared expression. They were all smiling but each one was fake and their wide eyes were stiff with fear.

"I bet most of the cat owners here know that cats tend to bring... 'presents' to their owners. Like mice they've hunted and stuff like that... but if your cat is as murderous as my Link, some problems may occur." the red hatted ringmaster murmured to himself as he looked at the furred teenager, unaware of the rest of his crew's entrance.

"Uhh... master?" Ike turned around and Roy immediately was silent. The ex-mercenary's cold glare swept them all and he growled, startling them. The group were ready for Ike's worst verbal assault when...

"Meow!" the blue haired ringmaster's attention fell back on the green capped lion-boy. Link looked proud of himself, he used his left hand to tug on Ike's clean pants-leaving a smear of blood- while he mewed in a tone of love and affection. Roy could hear, from Peach mostly, the fighting back of giggles while Link sat on the ground with his tail wagging. The only reason why the others weren't rolling on the floor was because of the thing in the half human's mouth: a white glove with a blue ripped off hand still inside it with a trail of blood coming from the entrance to- where it could be presumed- the main circus tent.

"Who the hell gave Link catnip AGAIN?" Ike roared abruptly as he pointed to the innocent looking lion-man creature.

No one answered him.

The man's brow crinkled and he brought his whip down in front of the group. Everyone gave a yell and moved back.

"S- shouldn't we think whose hand that is instead?" Samus spoke up meekly, Marth and Pit cowering behind her.

"I don't give a f*** whose hand it is. I want to know who I can blame for this. Today's show was one number short and now I have blood on my outfit. Not to mention I'll have to wash up Link later and I bet you know how troublesome that will be..."

The group nodded as Ike paced around them and looked at them, as if looking for someone to crack. No one dared to make eye contact with him. They just stared at Link who had dropped the hand and began tossing it from his two human hands, occasionally his lion claws scratching the surface. It was obvious it was a fresh kill seeing that blood still spurted out.

Roy wanted to move, run or look away but he knew he couldn't move as the ringmaster circled them like a vulture. Link had moved on to chewing on the hand. He could almost hear his two best friends loosing their stomachs. It made the fire-breather feel a bit queasy too. Like he was going to hurl...

"Uggh. You're all clear. But if you lot try this... stunt again. If I ever catch you, especially you Sheik, I will personally cut and shred you until you look like strips of bacon before using you as a chew toy for Link. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Now get out of my sight. Link needs a bath. Tomorrow I want a performance so good that it's going to make up for the one we missed today."

"Yes sir..."

"What are you still doing here? Get out of my sight!" yelled the ringmaster. The crew members squeaked and nodded before they all ran off as fast as their legs could carry them.

0-0-0-0

* * *

"Hey Marth?"

"What's up Samus? I thought you were going to spend the rest of the night with Pit."

"Shiny kind of ruined the mood."

"Yeah... I guess what he said would put a damper. He was scary."

"Damn straight he was. Hey Marth..."

"What? Oh no... if you're doing what I think you're going to do with that video camera; then leave me out of this."

"The twins stole it for me. Shiny doesn't know I have it. Come on Marth... for me?"

"We could get in trouble. Oh Yune... not the chibi puppy face. Fine! I'll do it."

* * *

"Come on Link. Get the meat you useless beast." The blue haired man said as he showed the wiggling thing in his hands. The teenager on all fours gave a small sniff of the creature in the ringmaster's hand before he ripped the meat and began gnawing on its neck, killing it, purring- due to the catnip- as he did so.

Ike tutted in disgust as he led the creature towards the second largest caravan on the circus grounds. When he took the circus from old Mario, he had questioned why the old ringmaster had created a caravan that had a working, in-built shower system. At the time, he thought that Mario was being his usual crazy self but now, Ike knew that he was just thinking ahead of his time as usual. Where else could his circle of followers go clean themselves off? Not only were they constantly traveling, but the Ice Jester as well as Lady Peach could hardly go to a public bathroom when they arrived in towns.

"That's right Link... eat it all up," the ringmaster muttered as he led the blonde over to the van. He kicked open the door and led the cat-nip induced teen inside the white tiled room. There wasn't much to look at, there was just a toilet, a sink, a cabinet and a large grey tub.

The blue haired man picked up a yellow rubber duck that was sitting on the sink and threw it into the tub, the duck giving a loud 'squeak' as it made impact. Link looked up and gobbled the last of the raw food before jumping in after the duck, unaware that he was in his least favourite place.

"Stupid boy," he muttered as Link meowed and began toying with the rubber duck. Ike left his boots at the entrance, hung his hat and jacket on the hook on the back of door and began to strip off his pants. He wasn't too concern with decency around Link; his mind was too animalistic to think thoughts like a fangirl.

After slipping on a pair of board shorts located in the cabinet, the muscular man took out a bottle of cat shampoo and a scrubber. Giving a heavy sigh, he then reached for the shower head and began squirting at Link.

As if the touch of the water had knocked him out of the catnip state, Link gave a yell of surprise and tried to scramble out of the tub. Ike pushed the tub's plug down and left the shower head running as he calmly strode up to where the blonde was trying to claw his way out of the tiled area. It was amusing watching Link run and smash himself into the door instead of standing up and unlocking it, like the ringmaster perfectly knew he could. His job was that little much easier to do. No running after the half-human.

The strong ringmaster grabbed the lion's hair to pull him inside the tub, sliding in himself as he went. The lion roared at his master and tried to escape from his firm grip by scratching the man's bare chest with his long, sharp nails. Blood was drawn but Ike just dunked the big cat's head underneath the water that was so rapidly filling the tub. The ringmaster used his free arm to grab the closely positioned cat shampoo and dumped as much as he could in, causing bubbles to rapidly form.

Lion Link growled and resurfaced out of the water, looking absolutely horrified. Ike stared back in an exasperated expression as he threw the duck to the teenager in a hope to get him to calm down. No such luck as Link slashed its head off and made a claw mark on the ringmaster's toned left shoulder.

Still with a calm yet unamused face, Ike began scrubbing Link's hair and tail as hard as he could, causing the teenager to roar again and scratch the ringmaster's upper arm. The wet creature scratched the same area, except on Ike's other arm, and hissed at the ringmaster. The man just raised an eyebrow and dunked Link again.

"You're really enjoying this. Aren't you?" The man remarked sarcastically as he pulled Link back up by his hair. Again, Lion Link splashed and scratched his bare chest but yet, Ike still didn't react. The cold ringmaster turned the boy around and began scrubbing his belly causing the lion to yell and bite, with his insanely razor sharp teeth, right next to where he made the slash marks with his nails.

"Maybe it would've been easier just to throw him into a lake after all. This is what I get for being nice..." Ike was irritated with his bite-marks and bruises but he only practically drowned Link by turning him over and scrubbing behind his long Hylian ears.

He knew Link would get what was coming to him. He would pay for all the scratches and every blood drop he split. Later he would just whip Link's hide twice as hard as he already planned to. Oh he was looking forward to that.

"Master is going to get us in trouble..."

"Will you relax Marth? This video is gold!"

"You just like seeing Master like that! You know he's going to murder us when he finds out we've got him on camera."

"If he finds out..."

"When he finds out. Master always finds out."

"...Shut up."

* * *

... I'm not too sure who has the most explaining to do. Link, Samus or me. I need to think of more interesting ideas. I got a few though and you might like it. I'm warning you that these theme may get lighter or darker depending on my mood.

Review!


	3. Blade torture

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing!

Okay... guys this is serious. If you aren't comfortable with blood then don't read the second part of this chapter. Read the first and third but I warned you there are things that you may be uncomfortable with in the second segment. I had to do this... try get into the heads of my characters... its fun!

So... yay! I like this chappie for some reason... let's go!

* * *

"So... you're saying that there are still humans alive?" The brown furred creature nodded as his leader looked outside the giant window that was positioned behind his desk. Adjusting his red tie, the muscled figure had to swallow a few times before he spoke. His voice was calm and words were carefully shaped, as if he was trying to tread carefully around the lighter brown furred creature that stood before him in the small, dark office.

"Yes sir." He was about to say something else but the figure turned around. His bright orange suit with a flight jacket, rolled up to his elbows, glimmered in the light from outside and his metallic boots banged loudly as he walked up to the trembling ape, despite his smaller size.

"Where are they? What are they doing?" The red tied assistant gulped as the government leader took out something unusual from his knee pad on his left leg. He then tapped whatever he was holding onto a device on his wrist which began glowing. The ape gave a loud screech as he managed to deliver his news.

"They're the members of the popular traveling horror show. The Circo De La Luna sir..." The bulky ape jumped back as the leader smashed his hand on his desk and growled.

"Find out more about this freak show. Find out where they are and when you do... report back to me. We have business to attend to with these... humans."

"When we do?"

"They're humans. They'll be pushovers as all of the other sick and useless beings. We'll lock them up and be done with them. It's not like they can do anything to our kind."

* * *

Master was so kind as to letting the three redecorate Lady Peach's room. It had taken a hell of a lot of begging but because the ringmaster was so busy dealing with Samus and Marth (for some reason the two bodies didn't know) he was too distracted to nod to whatever the small gang wanted. As much as Nana wanted to stay to watch the punishment that Ike was to give the duo, the person closest to her, (both literally and figuratively) had convinced her otherwise to get a move on before the blonde woman got back from her morning meditation. The painting of her private caravan was supposed to be a surprise; so they had to work quickly.

For as long as Nana could remember, everyone had their caravans painted in the colors that reflected part of themselves. For Ike's, it was the coldest black while the bottom of Link's cage was a forest green like his hat. Samus' domain was a beautiful shade of yellow like her hair and Marth's sanctuary was the innocent light blue. While Roy had a fiery orange color, Pit had grey walls of smeared innocence. Their current companion, Sheik, had a brilliant dark purple room while she and Popo had the perfect balance of feminine pink and twisted blue. Yes, everyone had their caravans painted the same color as their room.

Except Peach.

"Ready to do this, kiddo?" Sheik asked as she lugged the large cage. Popo smiled as he heard his sister laugh her high pitched notes. The laughed sent lovely tingles down their shared spine, and nothing would make her laugh more then what they were about to do.

The dirty-blonde woman picked the lock of the Lucario-woman's door with one of her needles and opened the door carefully, allowing the two headed freak to walk through the door. There wasn't much to look at the small trailer; just a small bed, a meditating mat and a few old photo albums scattered around. The three were very quick to remove the furniture from the one roomed place but Nana couldn't help but look sad at the place.

The walls were plain, so terribly plain and white. It was annoying, really, how miserable these poor walls had to have been, being white all these years without a single mar of color to them. Peach had so often commented she wanted to have pink walls but due to the shortage of paint they could find, she had to sacrifice it so Nana could get what she wanted.

So saddening, but not anymore, for Nana was about to return the favor.

When the room was completely empty, the knife-thrower locked the door, leaving the three inside, and opened the cage she had brought. There was a small whimper but nothing was seen coming out. Wanting to please his beloved sister, Popo used the leg he controlled to kick the side of the metal cage causing a small brown monkey to crawl out looking confused.

"Where am I?" Nana and Popo laughed as they picked up the little monkey by the front of his red shirt, thrusting her backside against the wall with a loud thud. Today, the walls would not be thirsty for color; for today was the day the Ice Jester was going to paint them scarlet.  
Pleading with the freak for her life, the simian kicked his legs violently as he wrapped his tiny hands around Popo's hand, the one that firmly held him against the wall. "Please," he choked, unable to finish his sentence as Popo added more pressure to his windpipe, crystal clear tears swelling in the young male's eyes as they now sunk the tips of their fingernails into his pale skin. Little Diddy's... yes... that was his name, gasping was increasing showing the twins and the observing Sheik that it was virtually impossible for him to breath. Perfect for Nana, though horrifying for little Diddy.

"You should have known better then to take bananas from a scary stranger, my dear," Nana purred as she used the hand she controlled to fish around in their large pockets for a knife. "Especially one like us. Didn't your parents ever teach you that everything comes with a price?"

Over in the corner on top of the cage, Sheik watched the twins. Nana grinning like a child receiving her first birthday present and Popo smiling at Nana's twisted features. Young love, it was slightly sickening but it worked for these two. Sheik herself was grinning with glee and wanted to join in, but she decided that the Ice Jester could have the fun for now. She knew the psychotic duo preferred the torture and corruption to the eventual kill anyway, while she loved the blood and the gore it brought afterwards.

Grinning broadly, Nana was finding herself short handed, damn- where was the knife? The wide grin on her face was now dulling down into a smaller one by the second. "Shit," she snarled. Popo realized the cause for Nana's anger as he dropped the monkey onto the ground as he searched the other pocket coming up short again. His smiled disappeared as well as they looked around themselves. Damn. They were sure they had one to start with. Did ringmaster confiscate it again? "Sheik... a little assistance- I seem to be missing my piece." Normally, that would mean a knife or a heavy metal mallet, but to the jester, anything could be a weapon. Sadly, they didn't think they had any on them.

The woman reached into the waistband of her tight shorts and pulled out the knife she always carried with her. It was crusty with dried blood and other amounts of gore, and she licked it tauntingly, enjoying the horrified look on Diddy's face before tossing it to the duo who in turn expertly caught it by the tip.

"Mmm, thank you." the male head said

"Who shall do the cutting Popo? You or I?" Nana asked as she turned back to the monkey who was attempting to crawl away, holding his own throat. Such a pretty little brunette... he must have been his mother's pride and his father's joy- Ah, what fun this was going to be.

"You can my sister. We both know you shall enjoy it more then I." Using his foot, Popo kicked up under Diddy Kong's arms and rolled him onto his back before promptly sitting on his stomach, the jester's legs pinning his arms down at her side.

The blonde-haired woman still watched from afar, feeling generous for letting the twins have their fun, but also growing rather bored of sitting on the sidelines. She wanted to start painting the walls as quickly as they could. She delighted in hearing frantic squeals and screams and begs for mercy. Ha! Mercy? That word didn't exist to them. There was no mercy, only pain and suffering and torture. The new world had taught them that and survival as well as vengeance kicked it to get them to this point of circus life so far. Sheik crept closer, looking at how Diddy spun his head around to look at her, and for a second she saw the delicious glimmer of hope in his dark brown eyes before it was squashed by her maniacal grin.

Pulling the other frail limbs out from under, Popo held Diddy tightly in one grasp and Nana placed the tip of the knife to the soft skin of his upper forearm. "Slit, slit, slit the wrist, all the way down the vein," She sung between words as the knife trailed farther down the arm in a deep slide over a pretty little blue hidden line. "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, end all the pain," she sung her own version of "Row, row, row the boat" without remorse as she finished at the wrist and held the blade in front of herself, quite fond of how the blood ran down the silver item.  
Most would have been disturbed by the innocent action of singing mixed with the deadly action of cutting. Popo didn't care about the screams or the insanity of this. He just smiled at Nana enjoying herself. It was the child within her's way of eliminating the anguish they both felt. Like a game in this sick world that never stopped. As long as Nana remained smiling, Popo didn't care what crimes he had to do.

"Scream for me..." the twins said together at the same time

Sheik grinned a Cheshire grin at the sound of his delightful scream. Oh, how Diddy cried! Tears were streaming down her face even more now that he had realised there was no escaping his fate. Served the scum right. Locking and killing all of their kind like that. Furries should all be punished for the crimes they have done. Sheik knew though that as much as she enjoyed the torture, they had to hurry up. "When do I get to play?" She noticed the simian had gone silent while gazing up at the three faces in complete and total fear.

"I suppose you should now, or he might die before you get your chance, like the last one. It is only fair since you are the one who tipped us off where to find him." the twins said together.

The double headed jester climbed off and gestured to the monkey, signaling that he was all her prey now. "We've got to redecorating to do anyway, don't we Popo?"

"Yes Nana..." they mused with a grin while Nana put whatever blood on the knife against the white of the wall, making a thick, clear streak of dark crimson.

Briefly watching her partner's actions for a moment or two, Sheik turned back to the little creature that lay helpless on the floor. He wasn't even struggling to get away any more, he was resigned to his bloody fate and was more than likely hoping it would be quick and swift. That would all depend on whether or not Sheik hit the wrong veins or not. It was like playing with Captain Falcon again, only this time, she didn't have Samus looking disgusted at her sadistic pleasures.

"Pretty little monkey whore, just a mess and nothing more, just bloody flesh and meat and bone, don't you wish you could go home, terribly sorry my little dear, I'm afraid you're going to stay right here." Sheik sang, her smile widening.

Nana and Popo placed bloodied hands onto the other and rubbed them around, smearing the blood evenly onto both and placed them against the white wall. Two clearly defined, odd shaped hand prints in crimson now marred the canvas.

"Let us show our appreciation." Nana said curling her fingers except but one index finger.

"What shall we write dearest?" Popo asked

The female head smirked. 'Sorry but pink wasn't an available color slowly being written on the wall with bits and pieces of the lettering missing as she dragged the solo digits across the white. Several times, she had to swap hands with Popo to finish the sentence. The lack of blood that they had on them was more of an excuse to let Sheik show the dirt what they deserved.

Hell came to the damned and death came to killers. Karma was a bitch like that.

Diddy was nearly screaming now. Funny how she could hear silent screams now as if they were the loudest cry ever given off by a human. Perhaps it was like a dog whistle to dog... There was a chance and maybe it was only killers that would hear such delightful calls.

"Maybe I should chop off your arm?" Sheik taunted, pulling another knife out of her black circus boots. She always had eight with her and at least five hidden on her. He never knew when he'd need them, for killing or for ... 'other' reasons. Sheik smirked at the thought, and traced the slightly dull blade across the crook of the simian's unmarred arm, almost lovingly if it hadn't been done with a knife. "Or maybe I should slit your throat." She cackled, leaning down further, dropping his arm and pressing the metal against his throat. "If I cut in the just the right place you can survive for more than ten seconds. But if I cut your jugular vein, well..." Sheik smiled as she heard the corrupted young immortals giggle gleefully, "Well then we really can paint these walls red."

"I'm liking the last option," Nana muttered as the blood on the two's hands was already drying into a sticky mess. That was why blood was a better coating then paint. Much easier to get and it dried quickly. "Though I want to watch either way."

"You should've brought a gun. We could've blown his brains out and had them on the walls." Sheik told them, turning her gaze away from little Diddy. That's what Ringmaster Ike did with a few bodies after Link had finished his massacre a few years ago... good times. "I could cut out his heart and stick it up with that knife I don't like anymore." She cocked her head to the side in thought, the knife in her hand idly moving against the disgusting thing's flesh, creating small cuts. Her attention was quickly drawn back to him, and she made a sharp decision to take the knife away from his throat and ram it into his stomach.

The twins smiled and picked up the monkey before slamming him against the wall. They listened to him make horrid screeching as they rubbed his blood soaked fur across the wall caravan's wall, making a beautiful, thick streak of red appear.

"Maybe we'll lure in two next time and we'll shoot them at the same time for maximum effect," It was fun luring people into the circus. Those with talent managed to live. Those with money managed to survive but the untalented freeloaders... well... what was happening to the useless furry now?

Grinning, Sheik twisted the knife in the oozing flesh, forcing even more high pitched shrieks and cries from their pretty little victim. She wondered how much longer she should torture the little piglet. She knew all the little places where she could stab and cut and maim and still their precious monkey would be alive. Call it a gift, and it made for excellent torture, even if she preferred to go straight for the kill unlike her companion. Cocking her head to the side once more, she studied the monkey's expressions briefly before ripping out the knife and plunging it through his ribs, piercing one of his lungs. Once again, he screamed so prettily.

The knife was pulled out and Sheik could hear the little gurgle of the bubbling blood as Diddy panted for breath. With the look of his now near-white skin and tired face, she knew he wouldn't last much longer. But for once, she was delighting in torturing this little whelp. She glanced around at the blood and, before any drop could be wasted, she slammed the monkey against the one wall not already drenched in red.

"We're not going to get the room finished, my sweet, at this rate" Popo said as he took Nana's hand.

"I know... at the rate he's going, the corners won't be finished." The girl sighed.

"Then you try getting the last of his blood out. Hurry up before Peach gets back. He's all yours" She said, standing up. This is what they did to her father before she became a thief and joined the circus. It was time to see how it felt to be on the tortured side. How humans felt. She then picked up the box of salt and poured some into the ape's stomach, giggling at his weary shrieks.

She wanted them all to feel the same pain her beloved daddy felt. The only man who loved her before he was brutally murdered in front of her and she was forced onto the dangerous streets. She wanted every furry to know what it was like to suffer.

Finally, it was time to end this miserable wretch's life. Little hoe-bag, Popo promptly kicked the monkey in the face after moving close enough to do so. The force nearly snapped his neck as Nana placed her booted foot back onto the cold flooring. She shifted, placing Popo's foot onto his face and pressing down. Diddy's fur and skin was already bruising from all the foreplay they had done with him. "Tell the Ice Gods we're glad to be of service," Nana whispered huskily as the two knelt down, actually lowering their pressure on the face, taking the knife Sheik had lent them to cut along raggedly into the pale neck till he could no long scream properly and his head was a little less then half off the neck.

How she felt like that when Master Mario first found her and her lover decaying in the forest. He didn't shun them for having an incestuous relationship like everyone else but he did literally saw her neck off her body. But he cared; he brought Popo and her back to life when those stupid furries destroyed it.

"Stupid little dumb..."

"Less swearing hun," Sheik said putting a hand on their shoulder. "We have work to do. Shall we start painting?"

* * *

"Link... you look horrible. Did the master whip you again?" Peach asked in her usual motherly tone. Pit looked up from his breakfast ham and saw the blonde half-human stalk out of the ringmaster's caravan and into the open where the Lucario woman had set out a table; so the group of nine (ten if you counted Popo and Nana as separate beings) could eat together.

Horrible was an understatement for the blonde teenager. Pieces of his flesh looked like half peeled carrots while bright red marks were visible on his creamy skin. His tail had patches of fur missing with very noticeable imprints of Ike's cane on it. The lion just made a deep scowl and a low growl as he walked on all fours over to where Pit was. The brunette looked at the creature in confusion before the cat-teen scratched his leg with his retractable claws. Giving a whine, the strongman suddenly knew what he was doing.

"Oh yeah... your breakfast boy," Pit said as he pulled out a reasonably large metallic box. The winged boy opened the lock and, immediately, a few furred animals the size of dogs, that were previously caged, scrambled out. The lion creature gave a roar of excitement as it ran after them, hunting each of the vermin carefully before jumping on top of them and ripping their necks off with his long teeth. Blood began freely flowing onto the toned chest of the creature as he kept ripping the food up in a sort of gruesome

"I don't understand how he can stomach that much blood. Thank goodness Marth isn't here. He would be sick again... the poor dear," Lucario-woman said as she placed down the leftover carnival food. Pit dipped his hand in and randomly grabbed some popcorn before he shoved it into his mouth. He looked around the wooden table while the twins were trying to protest against the kind blonde.

"Where is Marth anyway? Or Samus for that matter?" the strongman asked looking at the group seated. The clown and the acrobat were missing as well as the ringmaster. No one minded that the circus leader wasn't present but the disappearance of the other two was very peculiar; especially Marth as the happy clown was always the first to rise.

"Well their leftovers are getting cold. They should be here by now." Peach replied with a sigh.

"Could I have their leftovers Mrs. Mario? Please? Please!" Roy asked as he leaned over to tug the hem of the standing woman's dress. However, he missed and knocked over the coffee mug which spilt the hot beverage over the woman.

"Ouch! You... ahhh! That burns Roy!" Peach screamed and yelled as she looked down at her coffee soaked body. She tried to wipe it off and be silent but she couldn't. Somehow, however, she heard a low growl.

Then, lion bounded towards her, thinking that her yells were like his breakfast's dying screams, and jumped up. It was obvious by the sadistic gleam in his eyes that he had no intention of playing nice. He ran up towards the blonde to take a bite out of her neck when Pit came from under the table and suddenly picked him up. It wasn't a great strain on the winged boy, his strength allowed him to toss Link away from Peach like a small pebble. The lion landed on all fours and snarled as Pit spread his arms and wings out, as if he was about to wrestle the big cat. They circled each other for a few moments, daring not to break eye contact.

"Come on... let's bring it up! I'm going to... I'm... I'm..." Link growled and hissed at Pit as the angel's attention completely disappeared from the cat creature. He turned around and raised a thick eyebrow. So that's what had Pit's attention.

Samus was in a dress.

But it wasn't any ordinary dress. It was sleeveless, frilly black dress that only came up to the top of her thighs. A black corset that was threaded through with white ribbon was also visible on the blonde and the apron hemmed with similar white frills were visible on the irritated woman's body. The dreaded costume also had dark toned stockings and wearing high black stilettos. To top off the scandalous dress, Samus had her hair down and matching headset that seemed to frame her face perfectly.

"Stop staring at her Pit!" Marth yelled, however, his voice opposed his body language as he meekly came from behind her. Samus growled at the winged boy and a noticeable red hue came to her face... wait... what?

"Oh my... I think you're wearing my old dress. Ike must have found it in Mario's old trunk," Lucario Peach giggled nervously as she and Roy peeked up from the overturned table. Samus huffed and nodded while everyone stared at Peach.

"Your clothes... I'm not going to ask," someone mentioned, summing up everyone's thoughts. Peach tutted, got up and left to return back to her room. Pit then looked back at Samus and changed the subject.

"So... you can practically walk around naked everyday, flaunt your... your Z cups in our faces... not that I'm complaining... and you're embarrassed about wearing a dress?"

"It's a French maid outfit. How can I not be embarrassed? I look like I'm a prostitute."

"Not much of a difference to me..." Samus groaned and walked up to Pit. Then she smacked him on the upside of his head. The strong man winced as everyone began laughing and relaxing. Even Link was enjoying the scene. The lion loved it when the angel was abused... it always made him feel better after a heavy beating from his beloved master.

"So! Marth buddy! How did you escape punishment where the illusive Samus couldn't? What the hell did you guys do?" Pit asked as he slung his arm around the clown. The blue haired teen winced as his heavy arm fell on his white covered shoulder and answered meekly.

"Well... we were recording... a few things Master did with Lion Link," Marth started. Link growled at the mention of his name but Roy managed to fish out a piece of meat from Peach's pile of leftovers and played tug of war with him. "Samus stuffed me underneath the caravan so I was hidden and she took all the blame. I wish she didn't though."

"Oh relax Marth. You're practically my brother... well more then the rest of these guys. I'll always look after you kiddo." she said scuffing his hair. She then stared at Pit again before she flicked him on the nose.

"What was that for?"

"It was..."

"Nana Sanae Kuraima! Popo Aisu Kuraima! Sheik you b****! Get over here now!" Ike yelled as he stormed out of Peach's caravan. Behind him, a startled Peach was timidly trailing behind him looking very ill.

"Isn't it charming how Master treats his women?" Samus asked rolling her eyes at the nickname for his "beloved" Sheik. "He treats us with the highest regards."

"Nana! Popo! If you don't get out here, I'll stop buying your eggplants! Sheik! You know what happens to Mr. Pointy when you don't get your ass here now!" Immediately, the others saw the aforementioned three/two/depending-on-how-you-counted-Nana-and-Popo, run towards Ike with startled expressions on their face.

"I wonder what they did." Marth muttered, noting the red stains on the back of their costumes.

"Who cares? Shiny expects me to wear this for today's show! How am I supposed to do cartwheels in a dress?" Samus yelled

"Figure it out at rehearsal in an hour. I'll be sure to tell you everything I notice about your... ahem... situation if you let me look closely enough," Pit said with a cheeky smile

Was it a wonder that Samus punched him after?

* * *

Another chapter done. Now I tried to put it in between the first and previous chapter. Not sure with the set style of the story yet...

Review!


	4. Filler: Character Profiles

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing!

Yeah, I feel bad for not updating but since I don't have the new chapter ready, I have this to give you! So here's all the criminal records of the Circo De la Luna members from the private files of the police.

* * *

**Name: **Marth Lowell

**Age:** 18 years  
**Birth date:** April 20  
**Race:** Beorc (Human)  
**Combat type:** Short range  
**Weight:** Unknown  
**Height: **1.7 m (5ft 57 inches)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color:** Blue  
Marital Status: Single.  
Occupation: Clown at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased  
Siblings: Sister- Deceased  
Fiance: Deceased

**Wanted for...**

2nd degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Presumed patient of local containment hospital. Escaped with fellow patient Samus Aran before being recruited by the circus.

**Extra Notes**

Dangerous if provoked. Has a sword hidden and can attack with metal juggling balls. Considered the mildest of all members.

* * *

**Name: **Sheik Harikan

**Age:** 22 years  
**Birth date:** November 21  
**Race: **Sheikah  
**Combat type:** Long range  
**Weight:** Unknown  
**Height: **1.75m (5 feet 74 inches)  
**Eye color:** Red  
**Hair color: **Blonde  
**Marital Status:** Single.  
**Occupation:** Knife-thrower at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased  
Siblings: Sister- Zelda Harikan (Whereabouts unknown)

**Wanted for**...

1st degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Physical Abuse  
Robbery  
Kidnapping  
Torture  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Displayed signs of mental instability at young age. Burned her older sister's face to a point of disfigurement. Rouge thief until circus took her in. Has reason to believe is the on/off lover of the ringmaster.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely Dangerous, extremely ill-tempered. Approach with caution, she is armed with all sorts of metal projectiles. Kill on sight. Seductress.

* * *

* * *

**Name: **Roy Pheare.

**Age:** 18 years  
**Birth date:** March 29  
**Race:** Beorc (Human)  
**Combat type: **Mixed ranges  
**Weight:** Unknown  
**Height:** 1.6m (5 ft 25 inches)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color:** Red  
**Marital Status:** Single.  
**Occupation: **Fire Breather at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Eliwood (prisoner)

**Wanted for...**

Arson  
Trespassing  
Robbery  
Use of illegal/flammable products  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Used to be a common prankster and busker with Pit Icarus. Worked with fire. Noted for his fiery technique and tricks. Taken into circus not long after.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely Dangerous. Approach with caution. Kill on sight. A pyro with a sword. A daredevil no regard for safety.

* * *

* * *

**Name:** Pit Icarus

**Age: **17 years  
**Birth date:** December 18  
**Race: **Winged Human (Angel?)  
**Combat type: **Close range  
**Weight: **Unknown  
**Height: **1.65m (5 feet 5 inches)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color:** Brown  
**Marital Status:** Single.  
**Occupation:** Strongman at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Unknown  
Father: Unknown

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Sexual Abuse  
Kidnapping  
Rape  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Used to be a common prankster and busker with Roy Pheare. Worked with fire. Noted for his fiery technique and tricks. Taken into circus not long after.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely Dangerous. Approach with caution. Kill on sight. Raped several men and women. Can fly temporarily and can perform extreme fetes of strength.

* * *

**Name:** Samus Aran

**Age: **23 years  
**Birth date:** March 19  
**Race: **Human  
**Combat type:** Close range  
**Weight:** 90 kg (198 pounds)  
**Height: **1.91 m (6 feet 3 inches)  
**Eye color: **Blue  
**Hair color:** Blonde  
**Marital Status:** Single.  
**Occupation:** Acrobat at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Arson  
Trespassing  
Kidnapping  
Disrupting the peace  
Robbery

**History**

Presumed patient of local containment hospital. Escaped with fellow patient Marth Lowell before being recruited by the circus.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely Dangerous. Approach with caution. Seductress. Lures you in with her body before either shooting you or strangling you with her ribbons. Presumed changes in her attack techniques every month.

* * *

**Name:** Nana Climber

**Age: **14 years  
**Birth date:** January 30  
**Race:** Human  
**Combat type: **Mixed range  
**Weight:** 43 kg (94. 79 pounds)  
**Height: **1.52m (5 feet)  
**Eye color: **Blue  
**Hair color:** Brown  
**Marital Status:** Married to her brother (illegal)  
**Occupation:** Freak Jester at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Alive- Imprisoned for child abuse  
Father: Alive- Imprisoned for child abuse  
Siblings: Brother- Popo- See Extra Notes

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Physical Abuse  
Mental Abuse  
Kidnapping  
Torture  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Evicted from their home because of their incestuous ways, the two were soon shot and taken in by Mario (original owner of Circo De La Luna) whatever organs that was still functioning, Mario used to fuse the two together. Now resides at Circo De La Luna.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely dangerous, extremely sadistic. Approach with caution. Kill on sight. Can see in two directions at once as it is a two headed being.

* * *

**Name:** Popo Climber

**Age: **14 years  
**Birth date:** January 30  
**Race: **Human  
**Combat type:** Unknown  
**Weight: **43 kg (94. 79 pounds)  
**Height: **1.52m (5 feet)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color: **Brown  
**Marital Status: **Married to her brother (illegal)  
**Occupation:** Freak Jester at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased  
Siblings: Sister- Nana- See extra notes

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Physical Abuse  
Mental Abuse  
Kidnapping  
Torture  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Evicted from their home because of their incestuous ways, the two were soon shot and taken in by Mario (original owner of Circo De La Luna) whatever organs that was still functioning, Mario used to fuse the two together. Now resides at Circo De La Luna.  
**  
Extra Notes**

Extremely dangerous, extremely sadistic. Approach with caution. Kill on sight. Can see in two directions at once as it is a two headed being.

* * *

* * *

**Name: **Link Kokari

**Age:** 23 years  
**Birth date:** February 21  
**Race:** Hylian/Lion  
**Combat type:** Close range  
**Weight:** Unknown  
**Height:** 1.7m (5 feet 58 inches)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color: **Blonde  
**Marital Status:** Single.  
**Occupation:** Lion at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Unknown  
Father: Unknown

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Physical Abuse  
Torture  
Rape  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Unknown background. Ran away from home and got attacked. Limbs chopped off and left to die. Mario transformed him (using illegal surgery) to a cannibal/carnivorous monster.  
**  
Extra Notes**

Extremely Dangerous, extremely ill-tempered, angered on contact. Approach with caution. Kill on sight. Uses razor sharp teeth and nails to shred flesh.

* * *

* * *

**Name:** Peach Mario

**Age:** 68 years  
**Birth date:** September 13  
**Race:** Human/Lucario  
**Combat type: **Unknown  
**Weight:** 54kg (119 pounds)  
**Height:** 1.7m (5 feet 58 inches)  
**Eye color:** Red  
**Hair color: **Blonde  
**Marital Status: **Widowed  
**Occupation:** Diva/Fortune Teller at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased  
Husband: Deceased (Mario)

**Wanted for...**

Trespassing  
Robbery  
Disrupting the peace

**History**

Wife of Mario, founder of the original Circo De La Luna. One of the last two original Circo De La Luna members. She was ill and was amputated with Lucario body parts (illegal)

**Extra Notes**

Not as aggressive but still be careful. Does not age physically and looks like a 25 year old. Can see future and use aura. Approach with caution. Do NOT kill. Has valuable information.

* * *

**Name:** Ike Greil

**Age: **23 years  
**Birth date: **April 20  
**Race:** Beorc (Human)  
**Combat type:** Unknown  
**Weight:** Unknown  
**Height:** 1.79 metres (5ft 11inches)  
**Eye color:** Blue  
**Hair color:** Blue  
**Marital Status: **Unknown. Presumed single.  
**Occupation:** Ringmaster/Lion tamer at the Circo De la Luna

**Relatives**

Mother: Deceased  
Father: Deceased  
Siblings: Sister- Deceased

**Wanted for...**

1st degree Murder  
Trespassing  
Physical Abuse  
Mental Abuse  
Sexual Abuse  
Animal/Antro Abuse  
Robbery  
Kidnapping  
Operating without licenses  
Unpaid fines  
Torture  
Rape  
Disrupting the peace  
Arson  
Attacking authority figures

**History**

Displayed signs of mental instability at young age. Born heir to the original horror group 'Circo De La Luna' but left to become a mercenary. Came back under unknown circumstances and eventually became head. One of the last two original Circo De La Luna members. Is infamous for knowing places to hide humans.

**Extra Notes**

Extremely dangerous, extremely ill-tempered, angered on contact. Approach with caution. Has a cane that can extend to a very dangerous whip. Do NOT kill. Has valuable information.

* * *

* * *

**Final analysis:**

The group commonly known as the 'Circo De la Luna' must fall.**  
**

* * *

Pleasant... the government doesn't know much about our little horror group.

Vote on my poll you guys! Strongman Pit needs some love :D

Review! Most of these details are facts and birthdays are the release dates of their games in Japan!


	5. Love, hate spectrum

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing! So that's SSB... and Batman and Robin doing the next bit...

Robin: Holy shitz Batman! It's an update!

Batman: No Robin... this is just a filler.

Me: The chapter intended for here is taking longer then I thought! Sorry guys! Enjoy the short cutscene!

* * *

* * *

What a normal afternoon it was. Sun was rising, birds were singing, sky was all blue and pretty...

And Sheik and Ike were arguing loudly... yay.

Or... Sheik was, Ike, even if he was freaking scary when he was mad, had always had the talent to keep his voice level down but still be one hell of an asshole. Link kind of admired his talent, he'd like to learn it too. Surely he was good at annoying the hell out of Sheik too (can you say 'leaving hair and his... kills on her bed?') but Ike was even better and he didn't even have to move. Maybe two or three minutes had passed since the ringmaster and the needle woman had started their little argument (about what was anyone's guess) and Sheik was already fuming and looking like she could explode at any passing moment. Even little, mischievous Roy couldn't do that to her, despite the blonde's everlasting hatred for him, he needed at least five or six minutes just to get her annoyed.

Link changed his position on the floor a little and picked up a random magazine from the floor in his mouth. He really wasn't even interested about the crap the paper kept inside but he needed a headrest until the ringmaster and his bitch settled their war of words. Even if the magazine was probably full of shitty articles and he probably couldn't read most of them, Link had to admit that the one with a title "101 ways to prevent disputes in relationship" was kind of amusing at that moment. Maybe he should make Sheik and Master read the article later. ... Nah, why to bother? Link liked to follow their arguments anyway.

Ringmaster Ike watched calmly as the hurricane made in flesh, also known as that damned metal-flinging bitch, raged in front of him. He had to admit that Sheik was _almost_ adorable when she was all furious and pissed off. It was also amusing, though, and sometimes it was hard not to burst out laughing while listening to all the swears, threats and other nasty stuff what the psychotic woman could make up in her dirty, little mind. But the problem was easy to solve - Ike just needed to stop listening. So he let all the yelling pass his ears and focused just to watch the murderous look on Sheik's face. It didn't prevent the Sheikah warrior from continuing her yelling, though. She probably didn't even give a fuck if the ex-mercenary was listening or not. Or she was just too busy inventing new threats and insults to think anything else.

_"Go to hell, you overgrown pig-headed lunk! Or just crawl into some little black hole and wait until you're dead! I don't give a fuck as long as I don't have to see you!"_

Yes, what a nice weather it was outside. Maybe he could go and play 'Whip the slut' with Samus.

_"I hate you, you hear me? I hate every-fucking-thing about you! You make my life hell! You should be wiped away from existence! Completely! I swear some day I'll cut you into pieces and feed those little, bloody pieces to the twins piece by piece! One at a time!"_

But in another hand, those clouds looked pretty heavy. There could be a chance of rain in the afternoon. Too bad, you couldn't see bruises in the rain...

_"Then I'll shoot the twins, cram them into a meat grinder, take the minced meat and feed that to the sharks in Alaska! Then I'll pour the water out of the sharks' aquarium and let them die just like that! Then I'll burn them! Burn them so completely there will be only ashes left! And those ashes will be thrown to a bottomless pit! Let's see if you're smirking then!"_

But maybe in the evening, then? The air wouldn't even be so hot anymore. Yup, that sounded like a good idea. Wait... nope... Samus was out stealing meals with Marth today. Damn...

_"I'll pound you so hard, you'll feel it when you're dead! I'll burn all of Peach's kinky dresses so you can't dress any of us up!"_

Oh, that last one was a new one.

"Why am I even wasting my time on you anyway? Hell..." still growling, Sheik turned on her heels to leave the room.

"Funny, it could be assumed that after you bleeding everywhere last week, your PMS would be over." Ike stated simply, making Sheik flinch. A smirk spread across the cane wielder's face as the woman turned slowly around again.

"Oh, what was that? Are you trying to be my mother or something?" the Knife expert hissed, trying to pierce the ringmaster with a deadly glare.

"Of course I don't. It's hard to pretend something that doesn't want to come back."

A silence fell to the room. Although Sheik did open her mouth, her couldn't make up anything to say against the pronounced fact. Sheik had scared away her sister and her mother when she was eight. For a while Sheik stayed silent, trying to make up even something fairly smart, but in the end she settled for a growl: "Who even asked you?"

"You did."

_"Touché"_

A silent chuckle slipped from Lion Link's mouth.

"Shut up, kitty. Don't make me kill you too." Sheik threatened

"Well..." Link said, trying to use the growling, low voice he struggled used, "sorry for... grrrr... interrupting... *growls and coughs* your... your... _marital dispute_." Link rolled his eyes and rested his head on the magazine, though the amused grin stayed on his lips.

Probably even the most bloodthirsty Wolf of the world couldn't have growled as ferociously as Sheik did at that very moment. Ike slapped his hand in front of his mouth to prevent himself from bursting out laughing. This just made Sheik growl even louder. Without a second though she pulled several sharpened needles out of her pocket and threw it towards the ringmaster, who successfully avoided the flying, deadly objects thanks to his well trained reflexes. Once again, the volume of Sheik's growling grew louder.

"I've had enough! Fuck off, both of you!"

The kleptomaniac woman was ready to storm out of the trailer and release her built up rage by traumatizing the rest of the circus crew but instead of that she walked to the ringmaster and grabbed his shirt's collar. Her eyes; blazing, reddish eyes stared to her master's cooler ones with no hesitation. Again, there was a moment of silence. Then Sheik tilted his head downwards and pulled Ike down to a passionate, yet kind of aggressive kiss. It took a long while, leaving Link wondering why neither of the two didn't pass out because the lack of air. When their lips finally separated from each other, Sheik whispered, or possibly more like moaned: "Are we gonna do it or not?"

Ike laughed, but not in a mockingly way: "Wait a minute, you just told me to go to the deepest pits of hell, said you hated me, threatened me, hell, you even threw several bone-impaling needles at me and now you want to have sex with me?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Has there ever been?"

And with that, they leaned back to another, even more passionate kiss. Sheik knocked his hat off and slid his hands through Ike's messed up hair, grabbing the back of the man's head and pulled him closer, while the Ike slide his hands under Sheik's blue circus vest. There was a quiet moan from Sheik, followed by the ringmaster's groan. Link whistled to the scene and checked the clock as Pit walked in.

"What did I miss? "

"A whole scene..." growled Link as he closed his eyes, "fromz ah... arguing... to... to.. fucking tookz only 15 min...utes and 23 seconds."

"Are you serious? Congratulations you two, beat your previous records."

"Repetition is the mother of mastery." Ike muttered in between kisses.

Pit stared. "Come on kitty we better leave... the way they're going, there's no way they're letting in anyone to a threesome."

* * *

I understand why Sheik is the most popular of the Circus crew... SHE'S FUN TO WRITE WITH!

Review! I'll have the proper chapter done... sooner or later!


	6. Boredom Rocks

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing! So that's SSB.

I decided the real chapter will be for Lucky number 7... cause its special. Please be patient... its the actual crew doing a performance!

Yeah... so a more... family-ish thing with the other characters unused last chapter...

* * *

It was one of those days where no one wanted to do anything. When laziness just about consumes your muscles and you can't really find the motivation to so much as stand. This was probably because there was nothing to do. It was the one time of week that the circus had time off. They had planned to go out and about in the town and cause havoc, but it seemed they really just didn't want to do anything.

Sheik and Ike, however, were the exception, for they had suddenly disappeared somewhere and didn't tell anyone where they were going. Typical behavior, one may assume, so no one questioned it. And besides... they didn't want to know.

At the moment, the circus employees were lounging outside in the overcast weather. Pit had found a nearby tree and had decided to claim it as his own by sitting in a tall branch. Roy and Marth sat at the base of it, talking casually about things that didn't really matter to anyone. Samus had fallen asleep on her blue haired friend's shoulder (still in the kinky french maid outfit) and breathed a steady pace, oblivious to the world around her.

It all seemed to be going well until a youthful voice screeched from the dense forest. "MARTH!" It was the Lucario woman, calling from the woods that surrounded the circus. The clown looked over with a blank expression at the flailing woman. Peach waved eagerly to get his attention and signaled with her arms that he was wanted in the woods. Or judging by the franticness of the old woman's gestures, he was more needed.

"Marth! You gotta help us! The Ice Jester is loose again! We need to calm them down and we're all out of eggplants!" Peach shouted. The clown rolled his large eyes but smiled as he shifted Samus off of his shoulder and onto the base of the tree, making the blonde as comfortable as possible. He then stood, brushed off his baggy pants and turned towards the fire breather.

"I'll be right back," He stated. "While I'm gone, please don't wake Samus. You'll seriously regret it if you do,"

As the newest member, Roy frowned, a bit confused.

"Why? Is she that grumpy?" He asked, kind of joking to himself.

"Heh, You can say that," Marth muttered and broke into a jog towards the red head wondered what he meant by that. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to grumpy-morning people, for the ringleader hated to be woken more than anyone. But then again, the Samus had been proven to be a very short tempered person (not as much as Sheik though) and hated being touched when she was awake, let alone when her guard was down in unconsciousness. Roy wasn't sure what she was capable of, and now he was curious.

"Curiosity killed the cat..." He mumbled to himself, glancing briefly over at Samus, who was still asleep on the tree trunk.

He sighed after waiting a great while. It seemed like the clown would never come back, though that obviously wasn't true since he left his 'big sister' outside. The fire-wielder chuckled softly aloud. Never before had he seen two people so attached to each other. Even those couples from the chick flicks didn't spend as much time with one another than those two. Where ever one went, the other would follow, like ducklings to their mother.

Marth had a crush on Samus and that was as obvious as the day.

Samus... eh. She was too complex for the slow red-head.

The curiosity was killing him, so he decided to climb up the tree and see what his co-worker was up to. Pit was leaning his back against his perch, not sleeping, but he didn't seem to be in full awareness either. "Hey Pit! Hey Pit! Hey Pit!" Roy called his best friend, peaking through the leaves.

The angel blinked once or twice and shifted his eyes towards the fire-breather. A slightly annoyed frown curled in his lips as he looked at his mate. "What do you want Roy? What happened to Marth?" The strongman was cross about his train of thought being crashed... it was a damn good fantasy as well.

"He had to help Peach take care of the homicidal jester," The boy explained, almost sugar-highly. "But he told me I can't wake up Samus, so I'm bored."

Pit raised an eyebrow, now suddenly interested.

"Why? Why can't you wake up Samus?" He asked, curiously

Roy pulled himself up to sit on the same branch before continuing.

"He just told me that I'd regret it,"

The angel stared at his co-worker's anxious expression apathetically for a moment before smirking with his shiny white teeth. "You want to wake up Samus?"

"More than anything!" Roy sighed in frustration

Pit laughed and shifted his position so that he was facing his friend.

"Can't be worse than the time you burnt Shiny's hat," He pointed out, an amused smirk still plastered on his face "Why don't you do it?"

Roy squirmed on his branch. "I don't know..." He said skeptically. "The ringleader would beat me insanely, but he wouldn't actually kill me... Samus on the other hand...I'm not so sure..."

The angel leaned over to catch a better glimpse at the sleeping acrobat. "you have point...I guess it's understandable to be scared,"

That struck a nerve.

"Scared?" Roy repeated, his reckless pride hurt. "Who said I was scared?"

"Well it was implied" Pit replied.

"I'm not scared of her! She's a big girl and has grown out of cooties," The boy spat defensively... childishly. "And I'll prove it too!" Roy suddenly turned up his nose and jumped to the grass below, out to prove his friend wrong. The whole time, Pit watched, trying to keep himself from laughing as the red-head picked up a small rock.

Keeping most of his body hidden behind the tree, Roy peaked around and took aim at unsuspecting Samus. He bit his lip as he held the rock up, starting to have second thoughts. "What are you waiting for dude? Are you chicken?" whispered Pit loudly, wanting some action to happen

The fire user scowled at the strongman and without thinking, tossed the rock at the acrobat. It sailed through the air and hit a perfect bulls eye on the blonde's head, causing her to suddenly yelp and fall over.

At first, the woman did nothing. Her head was lowered and her beautiful face was completely covered by her mess of blonde hair. She sat on his knees, her hands clutching the ground as she pulled herself together. Roy was about to say something (apologize), but was suddenly cut off by a soft rumbling sound.

The sound got louder until it was a full on satanic growl that seemed to be coming from none other than the victim of the flying rock.

"Samus...?" The pyro called cautiously, even Pit to precautions and climbed higher into the tree. Samus lifted his head and glared fiery daggers into Roy's head. Her eyes glowed brighter and angrier than either of them had ever scene, her lips curled back over her teeth, which looked like fangs at the moment. The growls echoing from her throat became louder and more threatening as her shoulder's began to shake. "Bloody hell... she's not human!" Samus was, indeed a human, but regardless, Roy cursed and stood to run, but before he could do that, the acrobat was already on her feet, her silk mysteriously out in front of her like a deadly weapon.

"Aaaugh!" The red-head yelled as he sprinted for his life away from the angry woman. Samus let out what sounded like a murderous screech and took chase after him. Being on the run all the time, Roy was pretty fast and light on his feet, but Samus was definitely giving him a run for his money (despite her wearing the maid outfit) as she got closer and closer, screaming for vengeance the whole time.

The cat and mouse chase went on for a few more minutes before Marth made his way back to the scene. He gazed around the tree, confused, and glanced up at Pit, who was watching the fight eagerly.

"Hey Pit!" The clown called. "Where's Roy and Samus?"

The strongman looked down, snickered once and pointed out into the field. Marth's eyes followed his finger until he finally caught sight of the two circus performers running aimlessly in circles. The clown sighed and shook his head.

"I told him not to wake Samus," He mumbled. He really didn't want to get involved (Samus was so scary!) but to save his buddy's life, he had no other options.

Samus was dangerously close to the pyro and showed no hints of getting tired. Roy, on the other hand, was getting worn out quickly and forced his adrenalin to pump him faster. It was futile as the acrobat caught up to him and used her silk to swipe at his back, causing him to stumble over and crash into the ground. Samus stood over him and picked him up by her silk, bringing him threatening close to her face.

"You will die!" She screamed, pulling one fist back and preparing to strike.

"Ok! That's enough! Samus! Please stop!" Marth somehow made his way over to the scene and grabbed his elder's hand before she could do anything rash. "You've run him down now let him go Samus," but the acrobat did not release him, in fact she only pulled even tighter, baring her teeth more.

"He needs to die!"

"Samus... please." Samus looked at her blue haired clown. His cute, makeup covered face only emphasized his scared, narrowed blue eyes and thinned his lips in a mix of disappointment and pleading. The silence and frightened look caused Samus to flinch and she sourly turned her head away, unable to look her buddy properly in the eye.

"I'm going inside..." she seethed through her teeth and stomped off towards the house, silently fuming. Marth sighed guiltily as he watched the acrobat brood over everything. He turned to Roy, who was still trying to compose his thoughts.

"You know I'm mad at you, right?" He asked bluntly, never raising his voice. The fire-breather rubbed the back of his head tenderly and nodded as Pit walked over and helped his friend up.

"You gonna yell at me now?" Roy asked. Marth shook his head.

"Nah, that was punishment enough, but next time, I'm not going to stop her." Roy sighed and nodded again.

"Should I apologize?"

"She'll be okay in a few hours. She's just upset... you see. Her family was attacked in their sleep... not unlike you did it. She's scared Roy." Roy and Pit stared at the bluenette in equal confusion "She never used to be like this. She was a prankster, a happy girl... and she still is. You know... but... you two have only been here for a few months so I know you've never seen this angry side of her. "She was ten years old..." Marth whispered, clenching his small fists. "She was naive, young... and innocent..."

* * *

_"Mom... can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?" the little blonde girl asked, her crystal blue eyes gazing imploringly at the tall woman before her._

_Her mother smiled sadly. "Oh sweetie... I can't tonight, it's too late... but I will tomorrow, I promise..."_

_"Okay... but you have to pinky promise to!"_

_"It's a promise." Her mother said as she crossed her little finger with her daughter. The woman closed the door and switched off the lights as the blonde snuggled to sleep, clutching her little mouse plush._

_But the little girl would never see or hear that promise fulfilled. When she felt a pain on her forehead in the middle of the night; she woke up to see a hideous creature, mostly hidden by the shadows of the room, with it's hand about to...

* * *

_

* * *

Marth looked like he was on the brink of tears, so Pit stopped him by placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Marth looked at the brunette with a sad smile as Roy looked at his burnt hands. So that was the night Samus was dragged away to that prison they called a 'Human containment hospital.' He remembered from stories that, that place was somewhere you never wanted to be inside. He couldn't blame her for hating, being surprised in her sleep. Lost in his guilty thoughts Roy didn't notice for a while that Marth was talking again

"... She... she doesn't know how to vent her emotions and sometimes... sometimes..." Marth was full on shaking now. He couldn't continue if he wanted to but neither strongman nor fire-breather minded

"Hey man... don't worry. You don't have to tell us." Roy said patting the fragile clown's back, before pulling him into a hug, Pit joining not long after. "Tell us when you're ready... or Samus can. After all... at the end of the day... we have to stick together."

* * *

Review!


	7. Showtime!

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing and I don't intend on it!

Okay... guys this is serious. We get to see a really cool chapter! The smashers actually performing! Please use your imaginations and remember I poured my heart and soul into this story. I love it so much.

So... yay! I hope you really enjoy the chapter and you try visualise this circus as best as possible. Remember... this is considered a common, ordinary performance for the circus and if I think of anything special (Like a 'guest victim' or a new gruesome act), you'll so totally know it!

Let's start!

* * *

With one step the Master of the Circo De la Luna turned his back and clapped his hands, making the curtain in front of him begin to rise up. Bright light started to flood into the shady little room from behind the curtain, forming strong, grisly shadows over the Ringleader's face.

As the curtain rose, uncovering the Ringleader he could see his precious lion, Link clawing the ground under his claws impatiently, crawling down like he was ready to pounce on the ringleader and rip off his guts. He was ready to play.

He was ready to kill.

The Ringleader noticed this and slashed the ground before Link with his whip, making the lion jerk back a bit, glancing angrily at his master. The glance was answered by a warning frown from the Ringmaster and Link couldn't help but jerk back a bit more, silently agreeing to stay back.

Even though Ike understood his pet's excitement, he couldn't let it ruin the show's schedule. Of course Link would have his time to perform with the him, he surely deserved it, but the time wasn't yet.

After the first slash of the whip the audience had already stood up and started cheering, but when the Ringmaster stepped forward and raised his hands into the air the cheering grew even louder. Everyone at the audience was staring at the Ringmaster, who grinned remarkably and shouted over the applause and cheers, trying not to look at their excited, ugly faces: "Welcome to the Circo De la Luna's night show extravaganza! The circus that plays under the ever changing moon! We are here to serve you your deepest and darkest dreams, to lead you into the world of the unknown and unseen! I'm your host of the evening, the master of this merry troupe. I'm going to drive you on the edge of your sanity, push you down from it and let you drown in your own mind's twists and quirks.' People excitedly screamed at this announcement, letting the atmosphere of the circus take hold of them in an icy grip.

Ike smirked to himself. They wouldn't be smiling for long.

"I'm more than pleased to tell you that tonight we have something special to offer to you - for Lady Peach Mario has agreed to sing to you for today's show!" the Ringmaster's voice boomed over the audience, the hand-made spot lights following his hands as he waved upwards. Finally some attention was turned to the woman.

There was Peach; still in the cloak she had worn to hide her body before the show. She had been out and about giving fortunes and some people recognized her. The audience was silent, waiting in wonder what was going to happen. They weren't left waiting long as Peach then suddenly ripped off her cloak, leaving her mighty Lucario parts exposed. The audience gasped as they saw the blindfolded woman, showing herself to the world; her face was dark and her hair had been tightly braided to act as chains. From her head, they extended in a multitude of directions and were each looped around the bars of the steel cage.

The ringmaster could already see who in the audience was squeamish. All the gazes laid on Peach gave Ike the impression that they felt uneasy and nervous. He couldn't actually see the eyes staring at Peach up close, but he could feel there was something else there beside fear... something wicked in the gazes - some kind of twisted hunger and waiting.

They weren't all cowards after all eh? Well it was time to test them.

"Doesn't she look lovely folks? See how she is tied up like that so? She is as human as I am and yet, she has Pokemon traits in her. She can see the future and sound so menacing... yet she has a beautiful voice." Ike raised his hand, "Would you like to hear her folks?"

The crowd yelled again and the Ringmaster flourished his wrist. There was no music, but the second Peach opened her mouth and began singing her haunting melody- the anthem to the Circo De la Luna-, no one cared. They were all transfixed to the flowing, delicate voice.

_"Deep, deep in the heart of the forest, there you'll find that circus_

_With its ringmaster, wide-eyed and fierce to all_

_The performers are so happy, though their appearances are bizarre_

_The Circo De la Luna is such fun!_

_Come see the two-headed freak and the wondrous siren and watch as the blonde beast eats dreadful things_

_Fire, agility and impossible strength feats feature here._

_Blood and laughter is what will mingle with fear._

_It's not that we wished to be born into these forms. Why are you looking at us like that? What a rotten face. _

_"This life is horrid, yes; it can't help but be so." That's what she said; and yet, the show goes on  
_

_What fun, what fun, this circus is great _

_You can see it in our rotting faces, melting eyes, and festering skin _

_That now the Circo De la Luna shall begin."_

The antromorphic audience was shocked. Mouths open and agape, they stared. Looking more than pleased to this reaction, the Ringmaster let his wide, trademark smirk wide across his sharp face, as he spoke up again: "Now, what do you think of that, ladies and gentlemen? Let me hear you me hear you scream!"

As if someone had clicked a switch, a massive wave of different shouts and yells filled the tent, mixing up, making it hard to separate them from each other. Still it was easy to hear that they weren't just cheers or praises. As these voices surrounded them, Peach couldn't help but gasp for air yet again. Just what kind of brutal and primitive people lived in this world? Every time she sung, she found about how horrible these people were.

Again, Ike raised his hand to make the audience silent, stepping right underneath Peach. The blue haired ringmaster looked at his audience, dark eyes twinkling as he looked at their faces, filled with anticipation.

"I think, our talk is cheap... you want entertainment?" the man asked, malevolence echoing strongly in his words, This opinion was answered by a loud, approving cheer by both, the audience and the other circus crew from backstage. Grinning in a satisfied manner, Ike announced in a proud, strong voice: "Let the show begin!"

At these words the bright eyed, blue haired clown flipped onto the performance area and smiled cutely at the audience. All around the tent, girls of all species began squealing at the innocent look on the boy's face and the way he toed silently the ground, as if nervous.

"I see you like my little clown." Ike laughed, his voice somehow managing to echo over the ragingly loud audience. He liked using Marth first... it brought the people to a false sense of security. The impression that this was a nice normal circus... "Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at; and Marth here will try and see what characters you lot are. Isn't that right boy?"

"Yes ringmaster!" Marth responded, faking a smile. "I'm here to have fun! Are all of you going to have fun with me?"

The fangirls screamed again (The men rolled their eyes or laughed/cringed) while the ringmaster 'titched' and backed off to the side of the stage so Marth was able to do his performance. By the look of his face, he was pretty much screaming to start.

"Well... I'm sorry but I don't have much to do," He said widening his eyes to the audience, looking as cute as a baby panda, "I must warn you... I'm not as fun as the others..." Ike rolled his eyes, hearing the sad cries or the few rare giggles. Marth may have not met his standards for the circus... but Samus was right. He did have his uses. "...forgive me?"

Again, the audience cooed and cheered for Marth as he gave another happy grin. He smiled and began flipping forwards as fast as he could. "You know, some of you say that for a human to do this is impossible... you're probably right." Marth said as he began backward flipping. "Whoever said nothing is impossible never tried to slam a revolving door." People laughed at the joke and Marth began to spill more out. Some were funny, some were corny such as 'Thank god I'm a clown. Cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny."

However, as he kept flipping, the ringmaster took out a banana peal (looking suspiciously red with bits of fur on it) and tossed it on the ground, causing the blue haired clown to slip down and wince. The audience gasped, laughed or gave a sympathetic 'awwwww' at the clown.

"I like bananas, but they lose their appeal quickly." He got a weak chuckle "Master! That was mean!"

"Tough Toberone." The red clad man responded bluntly. Marth stuck his tongue out and grabbed the unicycle that was just lying on the stage. He hopped up on it and began cycling, making people laugh at the faces he pulled while cycling. "Everyone! Please look!" he grinned, acting half his age and getting twice the amount of cheers he expected. Nodding to his master, the ringmaster took out a small ball and tossed it at Marth. The clown caught it and began juggling with it as he rode around the round, circus arena. Each time the bluenette passed the other, the ringleader would toss over another oddity until Marth was carefully juggling a baseball bat, a glove, a ball, a live chicken and a glass bottle.

Marth then dropped the bottle clumsily, making the others laugh as the clown shrugged and gave his own jolly laugh. "Mistakes are made from time to time. Without them, some of us would have never been born!" The audience (that understood the joke) cracked up with laughter as Marth stopped juggling and balanced on his unicycle for a while. However, he tripped again and the audience laughed.

The ringmaster found it amusing how they enjoyed Marth's failures.

The clown sighed as he looked at the broken unicycle before he addressed the spectators. "You know folks, there's a simple way to solve everything and you only need three essential tools: duct tape, WD40 and a hammer. If something is moving and it shouldn't be, duct tape it. If it isn't moving and it should be, use WD40. If it still doesn't move, hit it with a hammer. If it breaks, tape it back together with the duct tape." Again, laughter. People were echoing with laughter throughout the whole tent.

"Let's give a round of applause to Marth for his... entertaining act." Ike said at long last. "I think Marth has had enough injuries for one day."

Marth bowed as the audience cracked up again (the bluenette imitated kicking his ringmaster) and laughed at them. "Thank you, thank you. You've been too kind to little old me. I'll be here after the show to give hugs to everyone."

"For a small payment of five dollars... seriously."

"Drive home safely and beware of the trees, the idiots and the maniacs on the road. Remember, anyone going slower than you are an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac." The audience clapped again as Marth ran out, taking his leave.

The ringmaster smiled and called to the audience. "Did you like that folks? Did you like our opening act?"

"YES!"

"I can't hear you... did you like our opening act?"

"YES!"

"Do you want to see what the people at the Circo De la Luna can really do?"

"YES!"

"Alright! Then let me hear you scream!" The ringmaster Ike yelled. He listened as the audience went ballistic... but he was so unsatisfied. He wanted agony screams... screams of pain. And he would get them thanks to his bitch.

"For the next act, we'll need a volunteer! This act is a little dangerous so I assure you, the medical bills will be paid out of our clown's paycheck." The audience laughed but the ringmaster, despite his wide smile, was very serious. The next act was dangerous and he loved saying the sweet words of 'I told you so.' He didn't care to be honest; the sooner they were wiped off the face of the earth... the better. Also... Marth didn't get paid. "Now... be careful who you send out. I don't want to be paying any funeral expenses now..."

Hands went up and the ringmaster's eyes swept the audience before he spotted a fine, vixen-like woman in a blue catsuit. She looked very... haughty in a way which made the ringmaster very excited that her hand was up.

"Little lady in the blue pick up! Come on down!" the ringmaster said, pointing the end of his cane at her. The vixen looked at him in surprise before jumping up and coming towards him, looking smug. When she had elegantly come next to the red-clad ringmaster, Ike flicked the white beads in her hair and the silver diadem before smirking. "What's your name?"

"Krystal." she said, smiling back at him. No fear in her voice... oh she'll be fun to break.

"Krystal," the master said, trying the name on his tongue, "have you been to the show before?"

"No... It's my first time here. I really loved the clown act and I really hope I live to see the next act." She was joking, of course, but Ike knew it was really up to his bitch's mood to decide if she lived or died.

"Well then... you're in for a treat. Now... ladies' and gentlemen, see this board behind me?"

The audience screamed a 'yes' as Ike offered his large hand to Krystal. The vixen placed her paw on his and he gently led her to the board and attached her to it. Roughly, Ike raised the board vertically so that Krystal could be seen for all.

"Can you see any special contraptions folks? Can you see anyway for our next act to be a trick?" the ringmaster yelled out to the audience.

"NO! BRING ON THE SHOW!" the people chorused.

Suddenly all the lights shut down, soon returning back slowly with a red tint. Krystal winced in pain as her shackles suddenly tightened, stretching her painfully over the board she was chained on. She felt the board was pushed forward, and just moments later the blonde scandalously dressed jumped gracefully before her, bathing in the shady, red light. The chained vixen narrowed her eyes, spotting something shiny in the girl's hands. Knives. And if that wasn't already enough, the girl flashed a wide, malicious grin at her, leaving no guessing to whom she was - Sheik, the ringmaster's loyal knife-thrower.

Another red-shaded spotlight flashed on, revealing the Ringleader from the shadows.

"We all know how the cold steel hungers for blood, for the humankind has known the beauty of red against silver since the first time a man created a blade", Ike's voice sounded like a ghostly whisper, hanging menacingly in the air of the darkened tent. "But not so many men know how to tame the cold steel, let alone the fair woman."

"For that I, Sheik, am here", the knife-thrower continued from her boss' words, cocking her head proudly upwards a bit. There was a metallic flash as Sheik threw one of her knives high in the air, tied a black bandana quickly over her eyes and skillfully grabbed the falling knife back to her pale hand. Without cutting the smooth impression of movement, she turned around and threw the knife towards her target - the wooden board on which Krystal was chained. The chained woman didn't even have time to scream in surprise before the knife hit the wood just centimeters away from her face, lightly brushing her front locks with air current. As if that wasn't horrifying enough, Krystal couldn't even recover from the first shock before a bunch of other knives sunk into the wood around her body. She could only see how the flashing pieces of deadly sharp metal flew towards her.

A sudden, sharp pain interrupted Krystal's thoughts as the last knife cut a shallow wound on her left cheek. After a moment she could feel how a few drops of warm blood dripped on her cheek, slowly sliding on the pale fur. Her heart was beating so fast and hard she thought it would break through her ribs. "Whoops, that last was a close one", a sudden chuckle startled Krystal, for she had been too shocked to notice that Sheik had walked right in front of her. "I know you're the fling of Fox... Are you enjoying yourself?" the knife-thrower asked in a chatty tone, pulling her knives back from the wooden board. Because of horrified gasps of air, Krystal was unable to answer, so she just tried to create even somewhat angry expression on her face. The audience 'oohed' and 'ahed' at the spectacle. They probably thought this was all planned, or that Krystal was hired to be part of a dangerous stunt. The ringmaster knew that what the audience was applauding and cheering for was real. He may have chosen Krystal specifically... but there were no plans to the knife-thrower's stunt. He loved seeing the gruesome, laughing or shocked expressions plastered on his watchers' faces.

Whether Krystal managed to pull a face or not, a satisfied smirk crooked the lips of the pale woman before him. Pulling the last knife from the board, Sheik leaned closer to the blue vixen and whispered: "I know I sure as hell am, and we're not nearly finished yet, bitch." With that and a slink movement, the knife-thrower turned around and returned to her previous spot.

"Well, that surely looked fun", again, the red flashlight made the Ringleader appear from the shadows, right next to the Krystal. This time the chained woman even managed to direct a proper glare at the red-clad man, only to be totally ignored. Ike leaned against the board and smirked, "But wouldn't it be even more entertaining if the target moved a bit?" Accompanied by the audience's cheers and applauds, Sheik flipped a knife in her hand and chuckled: "Bring it on."

Her boss smirked and reached behind the target board. There was a faint clicking sound, probably only for the vixen to hear, as if something had been unlocked. Before the psychic fox could even properly guess what had caused the sound, the Ringmaster grabbed the side of the target board and pulled it - making the whole board spin around and also getting a surprised shriek from the furry chained on it.

In the meantime the pale knife-thrower had tightened the bandana over her eyes again. For a moment Sheik waited, listening to the faint, whirring sound the board made as it spin around and around, before throwing the first set of knives. Every single one of them hit the board, passing the woman's vital veins and tail only by few, mere centimeters. This time the fox wasn't able to hold back horrified whimpers, which escaped from her lips every time a blade sunk into the wood around him. The sight of a knife-filled, red and spinning world was just simply too much, far too much. Pressing her eyes tightly shut, enthusiastic screams of the audience ringing on her ears, Krystal silently wished she would faint because of the continuous, spinning movement, which was already making her feel sick and dizzy.

No such thing happened. The knives just kept on going and the world kept spinning. Every tauntingly gentle air current caused by the flying knives made her flinch on the board, causing the muscles of the stretched body to ache. It felt horrible, but the amused, mocking shouts and cheers of the audience made it feel even more horrible. How could they know the amazing spectacle was more real and horrible then they had imagined? Even if her head was painfully throbbing because of the spinning, Krystal could still clearly hear every bit of admiration and awe at Sheik's skills and envy for her being performed. Oh, how much she wanted to scream and demand every one to shut up, but she couldn't open her mouth, for she'd probably threw up if she did so.

When the board's kinetic energy finally came to an end, the vixen didn't even know which direction was up, which down, nor even if she was still conscious. Only faintly she could hear how the knife-thrower spoke to the audience: "Any good master knows to reward his servants when they've done good job. What do you think, have my knives deserved a reward?" An enthusiastically shouted "YES" made Krystal's head throb more painfully, making her whimper silently.

"And for what do the blades hunger?" this time it was the Ringleader's dark and strong voice that echoed in the tent.

"BLOOD" someone yelled. Again, a loud shout felt like a hammer hitting on Krystal's head, but it was quickly overflowed by sharp waves of pain as two knives pierced her palms. Even greater cheers and applauds filled the tent when a miserable shriek of pain escaped from the lungs of the chained woman. No one could actually see her bleed... but she was...

After giving the final bows to the audience, Sheik walked in front of the still trembling vixen and harshly pulled the knives out of the woman's palms. It looked like the knife-thrower almost drank the dark red liquid flowing from the wounds with her eyes, a twisted pleased grin on her thin lips. "If only you knew how long I've wanted to get your oh-so-mighty blood on my knives... tell Fox that was from my father", the pale, blonde Sheikah chuckled and licked another one of the knives clean before picking a terrified Krystal up and disappearing from sight.

"Don't worry about her folks! We're just having her health checked out and she'll be back where she belongs in no time." The ringmaster lied, reassuring his audience. With a smile, they nodded and gave small, worried smiles. Oh, the vixen would be back where she belongs... six feet under the ground.

"Few people can tame the beast that is fire and that's what is our next act is about. For anyone who can breathe fire in the audience knows it's tough. Even for the experts... so let's see an idiot tame the painful energy."

"HEY! I'm not an idiot!" the red haired boy yelled.

"Folks... you must be very stupid or very brave to do what my friend is going to do," Ike said, "he's shooting himself without a helmet." The ringmaster ducked as the pyro flew out of the cannon towards one of the poles holding up the tent. The audience winced collaboratively as the muscled youth smashed into the metal structure. He slumped down and people looked at the kid to see if he was alright. Finally, he stood up and rubbed his head.

"Lucky my head is so hard. Otherwise I really could have hurt myself." he grinned. The crowd gave a sigh of relief.

"You didn't want to see much more blood? Didn't you?" He asked to his guests. "Well we're all going to just see fire. See in his hand, how he has a flank full of gas in his hand and a torch in his right?"

"YES!"

"I'll be performing the dragon's breath! A technique only to do by the professionals, it's very risky and very difficult to do."

"And this is why I pay three times the amount of insurance." The ringmaster remarked, causing more laughs.

"... hey!" the people laughed again at Roy's slow reaction as the ringmaster patted the boy on the head with a small, malevolent grin on his face. "Alright. Have fun Roy..."

"I will master!" The red head chirped. "Okay! Here we go..." Roy inhaled a huge breath of air before taking a swing of the gas. He then lit the torch and held it over his mouth before letting go the gas slowly, bit by bit in an erratic upturned stream. The audience inched back in their seats as the fire was just close enough so that they could feel the heat but not enough to burn. The cheered as Roy moved his breath upwards and launched it into the sky.

"Did you like that?" Roy asked "Did you like facing the prospect of death? I maybe a professional..."

"Not."

"Stop heckling me ringmaster!" More giggles and snickers, "Anyway... death and burning... the possibility is there. One step too close, one too many sips of gasoline, one wrong spout of flames and we're all burned." The audience nodded as Roy continued the words he and spouted so many times.

"It's all on me. I could bring this place to the ground. Turn this tent into a pile of hopeless ash... but I won't! I'm here to make you wonder at the miracles of fire." He said.

"Caveman."

"HEY! Meanie! For that... I'm going to aim my next fire trick with you! Ringmaster! I'm going to 'Fart' at you." The audience burst out laughing as the man grimaced. Roy bent over, stuck head between legs with torch behind the legs, and breathed backwards through the legs causing a stream of dancing red hurtling towards the man. Ike sighed and back flipped over it, landing on his cane and standing on it. The audience clapped as the ringmaster got down.

Roy continued dazzling the audience with more of his tricks; the Carousel which involved a long horizontal blast of fire while Roy rotated in a full circle. 'Hell Fire' which was when Roy's fireball was breathed straight down while crouched before he rose as the flames engulfed him. The 'Ground Lifter' which dazzled everyone as one fire ball is breathed upwards, followed by a second larger fire ball, lifting the first one and igniting unlit mist and the 'Serpent' which was when the pyro breathed up and down in horizontal oscillation while walking.

In between acts, he did some juggling with fire but he continuously amazed the audience with his fiery skills. Unfortunately, the ringmaster was right to predict tragedy, as a pink hedgehog, dressed in mourning black, had dwindled far too close to the front of the circus arena and her heavy black outfit caught fire. The hedgehog began shrieking horribly and everyone around her began to panic, running away from the thrashing creature. Her pain was like a plague. The searing, burning torture started out almost innocently enough, but soon it was spreading through her whole body, bringing chaos and panic throughout.

She jumped towards Roy and screamed in agony as her skin charred and peeled off her body like newspaper on a barbecue pit. The pyro did nothing, in fact, he jumped back away from the terrified creature as she burned, watching in fascination of the dancing colors. Fire was such a beautiful thing to him. His mind was completely blank.

The audience screamed in horror as watched her burn; most of them were unsure if they were more horrified by the hedgehog's chilling screams as smoke from her own burning flesh filled her lungs and began to take away her screams of morbid horror.

To the end, she was screaming... crying... roaring a single name, 'Sonic.' The word meant nothing to Roy as the hedgehog's lips rolled back, amongst the charred edges, revealing a gleaming morbid smile that the skeleton always pulled. The hedgehog continued to beat at the flames, crying for anyone to help her as she rolled on the ground, trying to suffocate the flames. Her mind was beyond all proper thought as the flames began eating at her sanity, consuming her whole with the scorching torture of the hungry tongues.

If you asked the audience after the show, they would not answer why not one of them rushed out to help the suffering woman as her arms shriveled as she clutched them close to her chest, protecting herself from further material danger. The crowd would look at you blankly as they asked you why they didn't stop or run away from the circus that allowed a living being's skin turn crisp and brittle, ready to break apart and fall apart like autumn leaves.

The observers were no more then trapped observers, watching the pink fur of the hedgehog slowly fall to a charred blackness. Her corpse dropped to the ground, the starved flames still eating at her until she finally was an unrecognizable pile of dust.

Terrifying, yet in a morbid sense, beautiful.

When he had breathed the last of his gasoline, he burped a small flame and bowed to the audience, causing them all to mindlessly cheer, the ones in the front to be thankful that the horrifying incident was over.

"See ya later guys!" Roy smirked as he disappeared.

"Well... I bet we're all a lot warmer on this cold night." the ringmaster said, despite him wearing no shirt at the start of the show. He had noticed that many people had taken off their jackets and he couldn't blame them. He wanted to take his off too. "So... are we having a good night?"

"YEP!"

"So... what's next? Ah! Strength. The definition of strength varies among people. Some people believe that strength comes from being superior. Winning all the time, making others lose, pointing their weaknesses, and condescending them. They believe that strength comes from how much they don't fall... but we're not here to be metaphorical." The audience chuckled as they watched the man outstretch his arms, as if to invite them deeper into the horrors of the circus. "Today we are here to see feats of physical strength, and there is no stronger beast, human or creature ever to exist then the one that I will show you today." The audience held it's breath in anticipation and the ringmaster gave a maniacal grin.

"So it's my pleasure to introduce you to our next act! Introducing the strongest creature alive, Pit Icarus!" The ringmaster yelled as he pointed straight above him. Everyone turned up their heads to see a brunette with long, outstretched white wings flying above them all. Everyone stared at the angelic human before he somersaulted and landed, with a large grin on his face. "Nice to meet you all!"

The audience stared as Ike whistled back stage, immediately, all of the Circus crew (the twins in a large hood, similar to Peach's) pulled out at least sixty slabs of concrete attached to some metal plank on wheels. The audience looked on with interest as the other circus members ran or flipped off, leaving Ike and Pit as the center of attention.

"Yes folks, the puny, small, wimpy-looking..."

"HEY! I'm right here!" Again, the audience laughed as the ringmaster chuckled and backed off the field, leaving the strongman to his own agenda. "Okay... now... I have nothing up my sleeves but that's obviously not important. Do you know why?"

"WHY?"

"Because I am going break sixty slabs of concrete with my forehead!" The audience gasped as Pit bowed. "I would have done more but I'm running out of concrete." The audience gave a wave of chuckles as Pit took off a bit of his robe and placed it on top of the pile. "This towel won't make it easier for me to break it by the way, it's just going to prevent me from suffering eternal head trauma." More laughs, "So without further ado, let's begin!"

From backstage, Roy began the drumroll as Pit bowed to the audience and then to the slab of concrete. "HIYA!"

The audience gasped as the brunette's forehead made contact on the concrete. Each slab was destroyed directly through the center. If that wasn't amazing enough, then the fact that Pit had also managed to smash the metal underneath the concrete, with the amount of brute force he used. The remaining blocks collapsed on the ground.

"Tah dah!"

The crowd cheered at this amazing feat. They knew it was hard enough for one of their own to do this, let alone a human. However, not all were impressed as, when the cheers died down, there was someone hurling insults at the strongman.

"Cheat! No one can dare do that! This circus is a fake! Booooo! No one can be as strong as that!" Ike narrowed his eyes and pointed his cane at the voice. His ears were sensitive enough to pick out the exact creature that yelled.

"You sir. Do you think you can do better?"

"Yes I can! You probably rigged that! I'm stronger then any petty human." The ringmaster looked at his strongman who gave a cocky grin.

"Okay! Then come on down and we can show you that there are no tricks here!" The figure got up and sauntered its way on the stage. It was a Pokemon. A bipedal Pokémon and with four extremely muscled, arms. Its skin color is bluish-gray and it has red colored eyes. On its head, there are three ridges right above its eyes, which are also right above its frog-like mouth. It wore a leg-less black girdle. It was a mighty Machamp. However, there was no power saving belt on it. "So... you really want to test my strongman's abilities?"

"Of course. I want to squish the runt."

"I'm still here you know." Ike ignored him and grinned at the fighting type Pokemon.

"There will be three tests of strength, the standard arm wrestling contest, the weightlifting contest, and the tug of war. Not against each other, but against a max number of people whoever has more people on the end of the rope after 5 minutes of pulling, wins. It's that easy. If Pit does indeed win this contest, then you'll all know that I speak no lies when I say that Pit as the strongest human being on planet Earth. Do you accept these terms?"

"The fight is on." Pit said, without a slight hint of hesitation.

"Yes, get ready to be beaten puny human." The Machamp said with the utmost of confidence.

The ringleader whistled and Sheik, Samus, Roy and Marth brought out a large table, set it on the ground and ran off the arena. The ringmaster walked up to it and tapped it with his cane, giving off a definite, solid sound that rung through the tent. "See this table folks? This is where the first match will take place!" Ike said, tapping the 4 feet by 4 feet table again. "This thick, strong, tough steel-like material will make sure that nothing will break while these two clash."

"Okay, do you need any kind of thing to even up the arms, Machamp?" Ike asked, getting a laugh from the audience. It was pretty funny, asking the four armed Pokemon if he needed one against the fragile looking angel.

"No, I don't need anything, I don't want to give myself any advantages against this scrawny one."

"None for me either master, I want to prove, even with his advantages in height, weight, and arms, it won't be enough because I have a definite advantage in power."

With a nod, the two stood on opposite ends of the table, they clasped on hand in the other and stared at each other. The audience began screaming for their favorites, most going to the blue Pokemon. Boy, they were in for a surprise.

"On three, then. Ready, 1...2...3 Go!"

It was quite apparent that the Machamp had started, his face was grimacing, his muscular arm was tense, yet there was no movement. Pit was blowing on the fingers of his other hand, looking as though he was getting a manicure. He looked around, first to Machamp, then almost innocently to the ringmaster.

"I'm sorry, you said go, and I wasn't paying attention. Are you really trying with all your might against little old me? Why don't you use both hands, maybe you'll have a fair shot then, hmmm?" Pit mocked, his voice carrying out to the small audience. Again, he was greeted with laughter from them.

The fighting Pokemon couldn't believe his ears, or his eyes, and Ike couldn't blame him. Pit was a much shorter then him and probably about a quarter of the macho Pokemon's weight, but he didn't even feel his huge, powerful arm pushing against his tiny right hand. Wanting to prove the tiny pipsqueak wrong, he put his left hand against the joined hands and started pulling with all the power he possessed in his huge body, he jerked this way and that, trying to get his hand to move even a little.

"Pathetic, you call yourself a strong man, Marth the clown could put up more of a fight."

The Machamp placed all of his arms and tried to push and pull down Pit's hand. Meanwhile, Pit took his little finger out of the tight grip that the Machamp had on his fingers except his itty bitty, little pinky. He smiled brightly up at him and pushed his hands down to the table, using just his little finger against all of the fighter's hands, basically the power of Machamp's whole body was put up against the power of his pinky, and he had lost.

"How? How is this possible? You're so small, but you're at least 20 times stronger than I am." The Pokemon stammered.

"You don't challenge the strongman." Pit laughed as he knocked him over and broke the solid metal table. He then stepped on top of the Machamp. Most of the audience cheered for the angel as he raised his arms in triumph over the Pokemon.

"So folks," Ringmaster Ike called, stepping out once again "should we give him another chance to humiliate himself again?" The audience cheered its approval while Machamp tried to raise his face off the ground and refuse.

"No more... peace..." he muttered.

"You don't deserve these arms. You're not strong at all!" Laughed Pit as he grabbed the top two arms and ripped them clean off his body. People shrieked and some fainted as the Pokemon roared. Blood spewed out and soaked the earth below, causing it to turn a pale red. The ringmaster stepped in front and began to speak, his voice being able to be heard over the loud racket.

"If anyone needs to leave, you may so now." However, as Pit noted when he was dragging the Machamp off by his feet, no one left the big top. They all just remained transfixed, now silent, staring at the ringmaster.

Ike had that effect on people...

"Now... let's move on to something a little more morbid. As we feed your dark desires, know that it is you who willingly decided to come to the circus. We all know about being born with several... extra parts when we were born right?

Well, meet the two twins that were simply normal at birth... and not so normal now. So say hello to the one, the only... Ice Jester! I introduce you to Popo and Nana Climber!"

The audience turned to the side where they saw the two headed brunette. They stared as the horrid creature looked at them with dead eyes and evil smiles.

"I hope you're all enjoying the circus." the female said with a brilliant, pearly white smile.

"Indeed. I am Popo-"

"And I am Nana. Together-"

"We are-"

"The Ice Jester!" The two said together in a fit of laughs as they waved to the unnerved audience.

"We are here to-"

"-show you what-"

"-ice can do. We have-"

"-seen the spectacles of-"

"-fire. Now to see the rigid beauty of ice." Again, in perfect synch, the twins looked at each other and rolled the other's sleeves up so that the audience could see that they had nothing to hide. What magic they were about to see was no trick. As the two brunettes prepared their icicle spectacle, the ringmaster addressed the audience again.

"Magnificent aren't they? They are the first of their kind... they say that two heads are better then one and when they show you what they can do, you will not be able to disagree with me. So, let's give the youngest members of our circus a round of applause as they prep themselves up!" Nervously, the audience clapped. It was slow at first but Ike could see the speed growing up with them. From the few creatures he had made eye contact with, he had seen the disgust they were feeling. Mostly directed at themselves.

It... had fascinated the first members of their circus that people hated what they didn't understand. It further intrigued them, and their descendants, that people hated if they liked their objects of disgust. The ringmaster could see that most people of the crowd were very uneasy, knowing that they should be horrified with what they had seen, yet they couldn't help but watch. Disgusted but interested them. Repulsed them but amused them.

After a few minutes, the Ice Jester nodded to indicate that they were ready to start. "I shall bid you farewell for now. Unless I want to be blasted by ice in the same way I had fire at me... I should be going." With that, the ringmaster walked off, leaving the people within the clutches of the Ice Jester. The two gave a small grin.

"So for-"

"-our first trick-"

"We shall-"

"Start with the 'Fountain of Fear!" the two laughed together, eerily to make their audience shiver internally.

The two headed jester span around and blew into the air, forming said fountain of ice. From almost the air itself, shards came out and began raining all around the duo. The audience flinched back and gave screams as the ice fell all around them, attacking them. Some people yelled in horror as pieces of sharp icicles penetrated the twins' skin and caused their clothes to rip open. What possibly could have scared them the most was that Nana was laughing through the whole time while Popo had a face that looked like he was purring in content.

When they had finished forming an ice fountain, the two jumped up onto the fountain and swung on it. They were moving in perfect synch. Almost as if they were two halves of the same whole. The audience could see that and were unnerved.

Yet, like so many acts before this one, the crowd was transfixed. Beheld in the wonder and horror that was the joined Ice Jester and the dangerous beauty of the ice. Like before, they are disgusted at even liking such a performance yet they enjoy it. They all know they should all be horrified at the spectacle but yet they all still watched.

From the top of the fountain, the sheer joy of the twins in the spotlight couldn't be contained as, like two ice skaters, began to spin and blow their blizzard to the audience. People marveled at how they did it and how each snow flake stung them like angry wasps.

"I do love the ice. It takes you away... it holds and preserves things..." Nana laughed as she took her twin's hand and began creating an ice slide for them to slip on. The twins weren't looking as terrifying as the others but as they performed and played in their winter wonderland, it still gave an unnerving feeling to the audience.

Especially when the ice all suddenly melted when Popo stabbed Nana with a shard of it. The icicle went straight through her body, leaving a large, gaping hole in her arm. People fainted and others screamed.

"Ice has always been the preserver!" Popo yelled to the audience as he extended his hands, letting his ice powers go towards the audience. Nana followed suit and smiled as the frost began to extend towards the stands. Two unlucky fools were caught in the ice beam blast while others only caught the biting frost.

The two screamed as they began to become incased in ice. Their body temperature quickly decreased and within the span of two seconds. The two creatures went from warm and alive to frozen and in a state of living death. It could be assumed the two were in extreme pain, judging by their eyes, but no one could tell until the Ice Jester flipped over and looked at the frozen figures. They smiled and like curious children, they began poking the person. The duo began laughing as they tapped a few fingers of each furry, causing their brittle fingers to fall off.

Then the two laughed.

"When not used to create beauty, it heals the broken and the injured"

As if to prove this, Nana raised her hand so everyone could see through the bleeding, gaping hole that the ice had created previously. Then Popo took her arm and placed his glove over it. Ice began to form over it, and when the hot atmosphere of the arena had melted it, their bodies were completely healed.

"It's unbelievable."

"A human being able to do such a thing."

"Yet we have done it folks... we can control the ice and we can heal... we can fight. Welcome to your nightmares."

"We hopw you enjoy your stay!"

Creatures had always feared the humans, and now some were terrified as the two headed twin walked off, leaving the ringmaster to come back on with water coming up to his ankles. He grinned and chuckled at the audience and gave them a low bow, sparking a new type of curiosity within all of them with the flashing of his eyes.

"Gravity is often the only force that keeps our heads to the earth. There are some of us with wings that defy gravity, but what happens when a human with no powers or upgrades, defy the laws of physics themselves?" Ike questioned. "Ladies' and gentlemen, may I introduce the lovely yet cheeky, Samus Aran." The audience clapped as they looked up where Ike was pointing to see Samus already on a post in the air. She was clad in her usual circus outfit instead of the French Maid outfit. It was a pity that Samus couldn't do her act in heels. The ringmaster wanted to see their reactions to her.

Samus grinned at the audience. She was born to fly and had been in the business of defying gravity for as long as she could remember. She began doing cartwheels on the wire and, though she didn't have a net below her; making this act life threatening, Samus didn't fail or even falter. She most enjoyed the thrill of doing fantastic things that no one else could.

Samus grinned and made the audience gasp as she sprung up and grabbed on to a beam above her to swing around to stand on it.

"Every time, you always watch carefully for your cue to perform." she smiled as she took a running jump to the next beam. "Because one slip up... could make you fall!" The blonde haired woman then pretended to slip off the beam. The audience gasped as the acrobat plummeted to the ground, but, just before she was about to die, the purple silk she had attached to her body caught the beam above and she stopped just before the floor. The crowd was shocked for a second before beginning to cheer loudly.

"In the Circo De la Luna, you find you can do things more extravagant than anything you've ever done in any normal circus." Samus said seductively as she began pulling herself up by her legs, allowing the silk to hug her perfect body. "Our world is a world of mystery... some you need to... lift up to see."

Men wolf-whistled and some looked on in amazement as Samus bent over backwards and grabbed the ribbon above her. She slid upwards with death defying elegance and made her way up the ribbon until she reached the top of the circus tent. People cheered and roared with praise as Samus gave a final vertical split and hoisted herself up onto the metal circus pole. She then gave a small wink to the audience, which some seemed to sense, as they screamed louder.

"Turns, flips, and any kind of fancy jump you can imagine, they're all available to me, but only in this place." Samus flashed another smile as she leapt off the beam, her arm held high to grab on to another beam above her path so she could swing forward to stand on it. "It's like this place has some kind of magic that makes you more incredible than normal, or maybe it's just that your mind only allows you to be incredible in this place. Don't you agree with me folks?" Samus was entrancing the audience, soothing them... making them happy so they wouldn't give them away to the police. It was amazing how agile she was and how she managed to allure everyone.

Samus moved aside and her flip ended on the beam an impossibly far distance away. With her mind completely blank, she performed a series of flips and leaps so elaborate that the audience didn't know how to describe them, sometimes going to beams behind in order to allow more tricks, and when she was finished, Samus found herself standing on the very top beam of that tangled mess of steel.

Samus flipped backward, landed on one hand, did a mid-air somersault, and landed perfectly on both feet on the thin, metal type rope that extended from one pole to the other. With a fluid motion, Samus snapped out a blindfold and put it over her eyes before, not walking, but flipping over to the other side. As with all of the other tricks Samus performed, there were no extra wires, no safety net. It was all or nothing when it came to her show.

A woman's body shouldn't bend that way; not on such a dangerous arena. She twisted into something beautiful, something exotic. The crowd awed as she continued to cross. When she had reached the other side, she jumped up again, ignoring the wild cheers. She used her silk and attached to an above beam and began swinging. Higher, and swinging faster!

The crowd gasped in fear. Suddenly the bar was before Samus, hanging at the apex like it waited for her, as though it never planned on dropping without her. She couldn't see anything but her adrenaline really began pumping as the bar began to drop ever so slowly as if now playing hard to get. Fingers extending over she closed her hands and felt her entire body begin to lurch around a now semi-stable pivot point.

She swung now, momentum pushing her down and eventually carrying her up. Just before the apex on this side she began to swing her feet up and let go of the bars only to bring her knees up and grab them. The world spun, not once, but twice around until Samus extended her body out to its full length reaching for nothing. The crowd had gasped when Samus released the bars and begun to flip through the air, and they gasped again thinking she would simply fall as there was nothing there to grab.

At what appeared to be the last instant the silk, clamped on to her forearms, caught the next beam. The crowd seemed to relieve a breath that had been held on Samus' behalf and began to applaud. The ringmaster grinning all the way. Samus swung back and forth again, this time when she went to swing herself out she left his body out straight and pulled her arms in to spin around then bent she body so she would end up in a dive towards the ground. The crowd cried out this time, a few of them standing as though they might be able to reach out and save the beautiful blonde themselves.

This time, the silk attached her ankles, making it look almost as though she had gone too far to be saved. She swung back now to the side she started from and leaned back as she reached the top and stretched her arms out to help bring herself up.

She then began to slowly fall over, now more in the direction of the crowd. One grey colored vulpine leaned forward and caught her in his outstretched paws. People around him whistled and cheered as Samus looked at him and began playing with his fur, purring as he stroked her bare back.

Discipline was never a crime here because discipline didn't exist here.

Her arm silk draped around her victim's neck as she bent down and kissed him on the nose before going lower and enticing him with the poison vile that was in her mouth. Samus was in complete control here.

She looked up and everyone noticed her alluring smile, her teeth like light bulbs turned to pearl. The creature holding Samus went in for another kiss before he was stopped by long, soft fingers and a light laugh from the blonde.

She pulled herself off the wolf with a flirtatious wink before moving with grace and leaping off him weightlessly. To another male where she wooed him in the same manner, earning some well deserved love. She had to be quick in order to maintain interest. She was in complete control, making them all beg for more.

After making creatures eager for her to choose them, Samus stopped and somersaulted to the ground.

She bowed and the crowd roared with cheers. The ringmaster clapped and the acrobat skillfully darted off in even more flips to make her exit even more intriguing.

"Let's give our little acrobat a round of applause eh? I'm sure you'll all need to clean yourselves off after drooling so much." The ringmaster laughed as he stunned audience did find themselves gawking. Some laughed sheepishly while others were visibly disgust of the thought of fantasizing over a human.

"So folks, as the night draws closer to dawn, it's time to wrap up the Circo De la Luna before we get to our final act. I thank you all for coming to our realm and allowing us to show you what we humans can really do. My final form of farewell shall be entertainment for you all. So, without further a due, I bring out the lion of the circus... Link."

Heavy breathing echoed down the hall as the audience looked to where the cage was. Then out ran the figure with lighting speed towards the ringmaster. The blue haired mercenary stripped off his jacket -leaving him shirtless- and jumped over the figure. Slowing down to a halt, Link's bare feet skidded around back to face where Ike was. Someone gasped as they saw Link's features, from his savage grin to his long claws and teeth. In comparison to lion-morphs the crowd was used to, he was disfigured, almost half complete.

With his cane in hand, Ike spun in a full circle and flicked the pole. The top half of the pole shifted into a long whip which the audience 'oohed' at. Lion Link pawed the ground. A chattering of claws quickly filled the big tent, as Ike jumped to a sprint again towards Link. The lion teenager looked like he was about to rip the master's head off when the ringmaster ducked, narrowly missing the claws of Link. A high pitched roar rang in everyone's ears as the beast lunged for another attack, just missing his head by a hair.

"Almost got me..." he laughed as Link charged again. The audience gasped as the ringmaster just managed to sidestep the attack and whipped the menacing beast back. The deafening sound cracked through the circus atmosphere and people trembled at the thought of such a... monster like Ike holding it. The lion snarled and leapt back from the black weapon, inching further back as the blue haired man kept smashing it in front of his little pet. The crowd watched in amazement as Ike continued to lash at Link until the boy was out of ways to escape. Cornered towards what looked like a few black hoops.

The audience stared. He was going to make the beast jump through three hoops? Seriously. This whole circus had them screaming the whole time and now they were going to do a few simple tricks? The ringmaster noticed this and smirked before he whipped the hoops. The impact from the sharp cracking whip bore flames to the hoops causing the crowd to cheer. Lion Link snarled as the ringleader cracked his whip again and the blonde jumped through the flaming hoops, landing safely on all fours as all cats did. The audience cheered again as Ike whipped the lion again, causing the half figure to jump backwards through the hoops, again landing on all fours.

The duo continued this dangerous jumping until Ike got bored. The audience wasn't but he grew tired of this childish game. He raised his whip again and, instead of hitting Link or the ground, he made a loud whip crack in the air (causing everyone to put their hands over their sensitive ears). A few seconds later, the strongman flew out, grinning and holding a large cage. After giving a silent wave to everyone (silent only because of the glare of his master) the angel left leaving the ringleader alone to climb on the metal cage and address the audience personally.

"What I am about to show you may disturb some of the Pokemon in the audience. We had been recently... attacked and we took prisoners. I want you to know what will happen if any of you dared to cross us... so you can't say I didn't tell you." The ringmaster then opened the cage and the audience screeched as they saw what was inside.

The group mainly consisted of Lopunny and Buneary but a large group of scared Pokemon (of varying ages) came out looking confused. However, the confusion turned into fear as Lion Link gave a new type of roar, one of flesh-loving hunger.

"Learn why you don't screw with the circus."

The voice of the people and the victims in the circus arena screamed and yelled ferociously as one as Lion Link gave a happy growl and bounded after them. The Pokemon yelled as they began to split up and run in panic, Link lazily running after them. The blonde enjoyed playing with his food. He liked making his meat... tender before ripping it.

When they screamed, it gave Link a thrill. The way they squirmed even though they knew they had no chance of survival. It was very... pleasing to Link. It excited his very senses... inflicting torture on them really got them going. He enjoyed causing them pain.

The Pokemon ran around as Link began getting bored at playing games. He was bored... and so hungry. Instantly, he pounced expertly on a bunny, knocking its head off before ripping into its soft neck and hoisting out its lungs before swallowing them whole. People shrieked as the organ slid down the human's throat and how easily and he dropped the dead body before he pounced after another creature, this time, twisting the neck of the creature so it was looking (with dead eyes) the wrong way.

The audience was horrified at the treatment of the... prey.

The blonde didn't stop. It was like a terrifying, never-ending gore frenzy where he ripped with his razor sharp nails and teeth and he smashed the skulls of his prey into the ground. Each creature he killed was sentenced to the afterlife in a different manner; from their eyes being gouged out to their hearts being ripped from their chests.

In a way... it was beautiful, senseless slaughter.

Some people hid their eyes, others watched as the human snatched his prey into his hands and devoured the shrieking creatures. The ringleader, was just watching, an indescribable expression on his face.

A small koopa child watched Link in awestruck fascination. She leaned over the raised edge that separating the crowd from the stage below, in order to get a better understanding of what was happening.

She then fell over the edge.

The koopa fell on the ground, giving a high pitched scream as she landed. Lion Link grinned and turned towards the small child, dropping what was in his mouth and looking at his master. Ike gave a lazy shrug and flicked his hand, causing the person to whimper.

He was so going to enjoy this.

Crouching low, the blonde teen locked onto his target and grinned, showing off his razor sharp fangs. A low growl was ripped from his throat, dangerous yet playful all at once. His muscles contracted and in a single fluid motion, he launched himself in the air, his jaws snapping at the koopa. His tongue flicked in and out of his jaws, as if he was already tasting the tangy flavor of blood and flesh in his mouth.

The koopa kid could only scream once before Link's claws curled around her throat, smashing her vocal chords to bits. The audience watched in horror and amazement as bits of flesh and chunks of muscle were ripped away from the sinew and bone, disappearing in huge hunks down the lion's blood lined gullet. Not a single member of the audience ran forward to help the child as he was slowly ripped away from life itself. Ringmaster Ike watched as the sticky red substance known as blood splattered to the floor as Link gave one final swipe of his claw and threw back his head, roaring his triumph to the world. And it was then that he knew it was time to make an end.

"Hyah!" he yelled, flicking his whip forward. The thong of the weapon caught his pet around the ankle and yanked him out of the ring, right back into the large iron cage Samus and Sheik had dragged out. The knife thrower slammed the door of the cage and padlocked it shut at the moment Link was thrown in, ignoring the half feline's moans and whines.

Ringmaster Ike stepped from the shadows and into the middle of the ring, the slowly dimming spotlights casting an eerie shadow upon his deathly white face. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes our show… my circus crew and I hope you have had a wonderful experience at the Circus of the Moon… do come back and witness us again… we will be waiting… and watching for you…"

Without another word, the Ringmaster stepped back and allowed the dark curtains to close in front of him. His dark eyes gave on last menacing glimmer before he disappeared behind the tattered wall of deep red cloth.

The crowd stood up and slowly left the tent; some rubbing their heads while others staring blankly, trying to comprehend what they had just seen. As they left the tent, some paid for the hug that the clown at the entrance was giving, while others found that after catching a short second glimpse of the knife-thrower, their wallets were gone.

Most of them went back home, guided by the rising sun. It wouldn't be until they arrived home and lay on their beds that they realized the true monstrosities that they saw. It wouldn't be until they dreamed of the horrors they saw at the awful circus that they realized how disgusting the images they saw was.

But some found they never got to that place of slumber. Many (especially people planning on telling the police) found that once they had left the circus, they were allured by the seductress acrobat or the calling of the strongman. Ones that weren't charmed were quickly hypnotized by the song of the strange Lucario woman before all of them walked into the metal cage of a certain blood thirsty animal.

The circus would be fed for the next few nights.

When the innocent realized that they had to tell someone about the rippling revulsion that was the Circo De la Luna, the site of the circus ground would disappear; tracks on the ground indicating that the circus had long gone, leaving for their next unknown destination.

* * *

_It is not whether we are good or evil. If we are right or wrong. It is to fight or die for survival. We've left the point of sanity. We've left the point of morality._  
-Annalise Danes 2001

* * *

And review! Finally this is done. I want to give a big yell out to **PitFTW**. My amazing beta reader and buddy who I couldn't work without! Thank you!

Also check out **Two Worlds, One Circus! **The crossover between this story and the Smash Mansion :D!

Review!


	8. History: Ice Jester Nana & Popo Climber

Circo de la Luna

I own nothing!

CHARACTER DEVLEOPMENT!

* * *

The brunette girl smiled as she stroked her brother's soft, brown hair. Her spouse's head rested on her neck as she lay down in her makeshift bed, listening to the soft hum of the caravan's wheels on the unpaved road. Master Ike was taking them through the forest to the next town, for more fun and games: for another show. Nana was wide awake, enjoying the forest flashing by her bedside window.

She didn't mind if her beloved was drooling a little bit; he was so peaceful right now, in the realm of dreams. The two shared everything together, even the same body, but Nana couldn't succumb to the calling of sleep. Her eyes were glowing and she was wide awake. She was restless, she wanted to move.

So, what did a two headed, fourteen old psychopath do when she was restless? She did a normal reaction.

She moved.

Contre to popular belief, Nana could control her brother's side of the body, and Popo to her. It was just that they couldn't when the other was awake; when the second brain was conscious. Of course, that didn't restrict the connected twin's movement ever. They worked as one; the left and right sides of the same whole.

With an unreasonable, light, humor-less laugh, the female head controlled the stitch covered body towards the door, using her right arm to keep her husband's head nuzzled in the crook of her neck. He was a heavy sleeper, just as Nana was a light one, so he didn't mind the few jolts of the caravan or the uneven movements of his body.

Flinging open the door, Nana smiled as she looked out into the darkness of the night; watching her hair and her pink/blue pajamas whip past her as the moving motor vehicle move against the rushing wind. Curiously, like the koopa child at the last circus performance, she looked down to see the rushing road indicating, that should she fall, it would have been easy to break an arm at 60km/h. Then there was the fact that a tired Sheik was driving the second caravan/coach/trailer thing behind them: she would've been run over by it and whatever it was pulling behind. (The other's rooms/cage and the bathroom).

With a soft, sadistic laugh at the thought of crushing death, Nana stepped out onto the train-like platform attached to her mobile room and turned to the side where metal railings were attached. Taking caution not to let Popo's head fly in the wrong direction, should the stitching of his neck rip with her jerky movements, the jester began scaling the bars, making it to the roof and the open midnight air.

The Ice Jester's frame hoisted itself up and, to Nana's prediction, she saw that she was not going to be alone. A tall figure, sitting upright and red eyes staring at the moon, greeted her brown-blue orbs. Golden locks flickered past her like hungry snakes and her patched nightdress flickered but besides that, she was utterly still. The eighty-nine year old was always here when the moon was shining like it did. It was so pretty from behind the sky-scraping trees.

"I sensed your approach. You don't have to try to be quiet," the blonde muttered, not even looking at the young girl. "Can't sleep?"

"Too excited. We had a great show today..." Nana burst out into hysterical laughter, slicing the cold silence like a hot knife through flesh while Peach just continued staring at the golden sky orb. "It shouldn't have stopped. The Circo De la Luna is such fun."

"Yes... it is I guess," Peach smiled, turing her warm gaze onto the two-headed teenager, "It's fun, safe... warm." The girl nodded and lifted her brother's head slightly. He gave a small moan, but didn't awaken. Satisfied with her brother's comfort, Nana took out her hidden knife and began playing with it. Peach cringed slightly at the self-cause of blood, but said nothing about the matter. Nana always played games like that with Popo. It may have been disturbing, but with the mentally addled two, it was normal.

"Do you like the night?" Peach nodded, "I love it too. It's so interesting; the stars are like tiny knives waiting to fall..." Nana giggled as Peach sighed and stroked the straight, brown locks of both twins.

"I guess I'd like to know why you-"

"Do you miss him?" Nana asked suddenly, letting her hands skim across the silver of her knife; blood slightly leaking onto the metal.

"What?"

"First Master Mario," she stated innocently, "Do you still miss him?" the teenager asked as she crawled over to where Peach was. The Lucario woman glanced at the brunette girl and gave a small, sad nod before extending her ungloved arm over and cuddling the jester like the daughter she never had.

"Very much..." she sighed, not daring to look at the inquisitive eyes of Nana, "tomorrow it would have been our anniversary. The day when we were married."

"It must be hard... I couldn't ever imagine my life without Popo. He's always looking out for me... keeping the evil hobos away from me," sighed the ice woman as she rubbed the cheek of her brother with the flat of her palm. Peach tried not to laugh about the hobos; she held Nana close, the teenager could hear the steady heartbeat of her deformed heart; like a drum being played by a rabid monkey.

Hell yeah Nana had an interesting use of synonyms... like how Peach was looking as red as a person sitting naked in a frying pan.

"Then you and I have something in common. Our spouses were the most important things to us... lovers and protectors," sighed Peach

"Tell me the story about how you and Mario met," the girl asked suddenly, turning her glassy gaze at the half-Lucario, "You never told anyone this story before. I know because I've asked. Sam whacked me with a ham when I asked her," Peach shook her head and ruffled Nana's short hair before taking the blade off the girl.

"Perhaps another time."

"Okay... I'm telling my backstory to you." It was sudden and unexpected, but Peach expected that of Nana. After all, unexpected was normal for the girl's behavior. In all honesty, she did want to hear her story. She didn't really know Nana and Popo's history before Mario took the two bleeding kids back one night; Ike did for some reason, but Peach, the first ringmaster's wife, didn't. "It all started not so long ago. In a place, far away..."

* * *

_To start off, it was just an innocent kiss to start sparks; the two were five years old and they didn't know better. Nana was the one to pull the first move on my brother: the real move... the real story began when the twins were ten. They were more mature then most, acting like a sixteen year old instead of a ten year old. The twins had to grow up quickly: their father died when they were little and their mother was out all the time: either working or getting her ass drunk._

_Nana had been feeling for Popo more then she have should. Most siblings fight and wanted to split rooms in our village; they just wanted to stay together; even though the two grew hot in the face as they shared a bed._

_It was more random then romantic... how they got together. After a long day, Popo sat down on the bed and they talked. Then Nana lost control and began making out with him._

_Yeah... don't ask._

_But you know: random things often start a journey of a life time. Before either knew it, they were were closer then brother and sister and their blood ensured them that they were more then just lovers._ It was interesting their relationship..._ From kissing behind their mother's back to trying to play cool with their friends; sure there were complications... but there was love. No matter how twisted it was, it was love and they cherished every second of it._

_Then... when we were twelve years old with minds of a person in their twenties, Popo bought Nana a plain silver ring and proposed._  
_  
She said yes._  
_  
But they were caught, for you see, a Charizard saw Popo buying the ring with all of his savings, and being a stupid, fucking busybody, he followed him home like a perverted stalker and saw the twins kissing with the rings on their fingers._  
_  
That night they were attacked and captured in their beds._  
_  
Through half open eyes, the next day, Nana looked around to see herself in the dirt; inside the center of a crowd of people, some looking in horror, while others looking with hatred filling their eyes. There was no escape, everywhere she turned she could see her friends... people from her small village looking at them in disgust; especially our neglectful. Yes, them. Popo was there as well; by her side looking as confused as she was._  
_  
"What…what is this?" Nana mumbled, but it seemed like no one had heard my voice. A large, masculine Charizard stepped forward to stand in front of my crouched figure, facing the large crowd of creatures with his hands up in the air._  
_"My people! Look here at these unholy people among us!" he hollered loudly, "Their crime: incest. Defying the laws of the Gods themselves! A crime only punishable by stoning these demons to death"_  
_  
The crowd cheered and whooped loudly as Nana;s heart sank. She looked to her left as she felt contact on her hand, and saw Popo look at her with eyes; telling me he loved her. Fear now drowned Nana as she clutched her brother's hand and watched the dragon hold up a large rock and others follow suit. This was to be their death. Our slow and painful death. They would die together just because they were in love. Romeo and Juliet has nothing on the Climber twins._  
_  
She coughed and dared herself not to let tears fall. her heart pumped through her chest, up her throat, and in her ears, blocking away the sounds of men and women cheering with content. It didn't matter what species: they wanted to get rid of them. Nana closed her eyes as she watched the Charizard raise his stone to throw it at them._  
_  
"Nana... let's give them a reason to stone us," Nana was confused and she looked back at her whispering brother, "they want to see some twincest, let's give it to them. We can spend our last moments... together." She gave a nod and he moved to her face and kissed her._  
_  
The crowd roared its disapproval and Nana felt her brother's tongue in her mouth suddenly slap the roof of it. Immediately she could tell that Popo moved- not only to kiss her- but to protect her from the Charizard's rock. He couldn't do it for every blow: the circle of the townspeople then began stoning them to death... even our own mother. The kiss separated and she was now left to crying as the sharp rocks pierced my skin. She flung her arms around Popo, and they guarded each other's heads with their hands, not minding the large, shallow cuts and bruises forming over their bodies. A fruitless attempt to protect our brains._  
_  
What had they done to deserve this? What have they done to anyone?_  
_  
It was endless torture but they somehow survived. Nana could see nothing but the beautiful endless sea of crimson on herself and her beloved. The towns people spat on them and went home; the humans were nice enough in their own silly way but the others... furries thought they were so fucking high and mighty. They looked down on them as they were dying. _

_In the evening, knowing that they would make short work of them, a barely concious Nana got to her knees and crawled away towards the forest, dragging Popo and leaving their blood trail behind._  
_  
Then they met Master Mario, taking a walk at the time. He saw Nana slumped over Popo, crying out to stop the delightful blood._  
_  
"I see your rings... so young but so close," he muttered. The girl looked up at the strange red and blue-clad ringmaster and looked at him pleadingly, "who did this to you?" he asked as he picked both of them up. Nana looked at the direction of the village and Mario raised his eyebrows. "Interesting... we were about to do a show there... tell me. How close do you want to be?"_  
_  
"... as close as possible to my sister," Popo moaned, trying to wake up. Nana muttered my agreement and Master Mario smiled._  
_  
"I shall grant your desire..."_  
_  
"And revenge."_  
_  
"Eh?"_  
_  
"I want revenge on the monsters who did this to us... make us well again... please," Nana cried in a fit of madness as she held her brother's hand, "I WANT TO MAKE THEM PAY!"_  
_  
"If that is what you wish... I shall grant your desire; but you may lose a part of yourself."

* * *

_

"Do you know what responded? I have nothing to lose and the whole world to gain!" Nana yelled out into the night again before laughing with almost soulless eyes. It was a slow process and Peach knew it took a whole lot of shit to turn Nana from an intelligent young girl to this sadistic fiend. That stoning was just the beginning for them. She knew that they had a Charizard for dinner not long after Mario had introduced the old members of the circus to the children (when they were stitched together). She now knew a little more about Nana and, for some strange reason, she felt sorry. Sure it wasn't a good reason to murder: revenge is never an answer: but it was one at least. "So then... I..."

She never finished the sentence as the two females heard a roar of pain from Ringmaster Ike's caravan, then loud, uncensored moans that defeated the sounds of the moving vehicles. Nana gave a light giggle. "So Link and Master Ike are playing more games tonight aren't they?" The two paused to hear a loud yell and a crack of a whip again from one of the car under them.

"Yes... I guess they are."

"I don't like it when they have sex with multiple partners. Sex before marriage is wrong..." Nana stated simply as she stared into the dark sky. Peach hid her amused smile; Nana found murder, torture and incest fine but didn't approve of sex? Interesting.

"If they would just stick to the yelling and hitting it would be okay though..." the brunette said thoughtfully.

Another cry and now a loud moan of ecstasy. They should have known better to sit on top of Ike's place of all things. They would hear these hard moans for the whole night as well as the cracking whip on Link.

Nana knew she was never going to get any peace of her insane mind so she, absentmindedly yawned, kissed her brother and stood; bowing at Peach.

"I'm turning in for the night," Nana stated as she cuddled the slumbering head, "I'm a bit sleepy now... though I don't know how I'm going to sleep through that racket." Another yell from below proved her statement and the Lucario diva nodded.

"That's nice. I bid you pleasant dreams..." the blonde smiled as she watched the figure walk away. However, it stopped suddenly.

"Hey Peach,"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for listening. I think talking to you was great for me... could... could we do this again some time?"

"That would be nice. I'm up here all the time..." she smiled. With a satisfied smirk, Nana walked away from the now lone figure and retreated to her room. As she snuggled in bed, looked at her partner and kissed him again, she gave a grin.

Screams or not; the people at the Circo De la Luna were fun.

* * *

Next chapter: Do you want to see a Peach flashback? (And an insight to the infamous Mario?) or Ike doing mind abuse? You'll see both but what first?

REVIEW!


	9. Bad dreams

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing! So that's SSB and the Dark Woods Circus which was the inspiration for this fic. Okay. Sorry guys but I had to push the Peach thing back... and the Ike mind rape. It won't be long; just until I get out of this shit in my life. You don't need to know details but I need to write something happy and I'm so sorry.**

**And for all those who like this story and want to do a spin off (maybe a crossover to their own AUs or use my characters for a fanfic) then notify me of this content and I'll give you the thumbs up. I already have fanart and I can't wait to see some Circo De la Luna fanfics!**

**Some fluff... I'm still pushing the barriers of morality... later.**

**Set during the time when Peach and Nana were talking last chapter.

* * *

**

* * *

It wasn't often that he had nightmares, but when he did, he was completely terrified. His heart raced so fast, it threatened to jump out of his bare chest. He nearly hyperventilated and he always felt so very alone. When he used to have nightmares, he'd jolt awake, calm himself down, then end up curling up and crying, having no one around to comfort him, to tell him it was alright. It seemed very childish for the teenager but he didn't care how his actions seemed.

Roy was curled up in the far-too-small bed in his caravan. Buried under the patched covers, he was fast asleep, however it wasn't a peaceful one. He kept tossing and turning, thrashing around, until he woke with a start, jolting up in bed, only to flail around, punching at the covers to get off of him. He wound up on the floor, scrambling to the nearest wall and curling up, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down.

It was the same nightmare as always. He kept seeing the army, filled with angry and merciless soldiers. Slicing through the crowds of scared people like they were merely a field of wheat to be harvested. He saw his mother being beheaded, his father taken captive (put into heavy chains) and Lilina raped before finally being killed, although in his nightmares it often varied about how he died. All the blood, all the screaming, all the violence and death and he'd just hid in a corner, scared for his life, until they found him...

... Everything after that he couldn't remember, both from his dreams and from what actually happened to him. He just knew somehow he ended up with his father's cape, floating away from the town to the city; trying to keep out of sight.

He shook his head, that feeling of being oh-so-very alone setting in once more. His eyes watered, and he bit his lip. Then he blinked three times. He wasn't alone this time. He had new friends, a new family. The circus. His home. Maybe, just maybe, he could stay in Pit's room for the night, and not feel as alone as he did. Hopefully his best mate wasn't screwing anyone this time... last time it was awkward when he walked in. The guy needed a lock.

Roy had already softly crept out of his moving caravan and looked out the open door. Painful, rushing, whipping wind attacked his face as he stared at the caravan in front of him. It was just one, fearless jump away and he'd be safe into his friend's room.

Safe from his own head.

With amazing agility, Roy leaped over and easily landed on the next living quarters. He moved over to the door that lead to the room of the strongman hesitated as he grabbed hold of the handle. Would Pit let him stay? He'd probably be better just curling up in bed and trying to sleep again. Trying to sleep again in the empty room.

But the thought of being alone in that small, dark room made him slowly turn the handle and open the door, peering inside. It was pitch black which made Roy whimper. He was scared of the dark which was one of the thousands of reasons he loved the light of fire. When he was on the streets, before he met the not-so-clean angel, he was teased by other road kids for being scared of lightning, thunder, the dark and water. Fire was his comfort and friend though he couldn't use it now (in case he burnt something down).

Pit sat up when he heard the door, tilting his head curiously when he spotted the pyro. "Roy? What's up?" he asked quietly. The faint light from the moon outside allowed Roy to see Sheik, sound asleep next to Pit. She was probably here because... yep... she was naked. But naked or not she still scared the hell out of him. Sheik never liked Roy (ever since he accidentally set her hair on fire when they met), and he feared for what would happen if she woke up to see him... but the darkness was so scary. He had to be brave.

"Can... Can I stay in here?" Roy asked hesitantly, holding a hand to his mouth in an unusually shy gesture.

Pit looked a little confused but the strongman didn't reject him in the slightest. "Of course you can," he whispered.

Roy gently padded into the single room, closing the door as quietly as he could before shuffling over to the rug across from the bed, sitting on it and bringing his knees to his chest. He could stay here... he was nearish to Pit and he wouldn't disturb anyone...

Again, the strongman looked confused. "What are you doing? Get over here." He patted the tiny bed gently, so as not to wake the sleeping knife-thrower beside him.

The fire-breather tilted his head, contemplating the action before hopping off the monkey-skin rug and crawling onto the edge of the small bed by their feet, wanting to keep his distance, just in case.

"What's up?" Pit asked him, concern evident on his stitched face.

"...Nightmare." Roy admitted, looking down, idly playing with his burnt fingers.

"Ah, I know what those are like," the strongman smiled at him, "you wanna know what Aunty Paulenta used to do?"

Roy looked up curiously, nodding. Pit grinned and grabbed him, pulling him into a fierce hug (a strong one but not bone crushing), making the boy squeak slightly and clamp his hands over his mouth to prevent anymore noise. Sheik hated being woken up...

The winged boy laughed as quietly as he could, squeezing him tightly.

Eventually, the red head found himself leaning into him, finding a nice comfort from being held. He began to smile when Pit ran his fingers through his hair affectionately, titling his head towards his hand.

"C'mon, you can sleep with us tonight." Pit smiled at him, maneuvering his friend to lie under the covers between him and the other occupant of the bed.

Roy stiffened slightly, not used to the situation he was in, but again, he began to relax into it, shuffling closer to curl up against Pit's warm body.

Next to them, the slumbering blonde awoke slightly, opening her blood red eyes and gazing sleepily at them. "Hm? Roy'?" She murmured tiredly.

"Yeah, he had a nightmare so he's sleeping with us, 'kay?" Pit grinned at her while Roy looked up at Sheik, ready to move (or rather run for his life) if he was asked.

The sleepy gaze fell upon the red head for a moment, before closing her eyes again. "Whatever. S'fine." And she shuffled closer, slinging a bare arm over both of them.

Roy blinked, freezing up again. The knife-thrower was never usually that affectionate... didn't she threaten the next time he touched her, she would gut him alive? Behind him, Pit chuckled. "She's a very cuddly sleeper," he explained with a snicker.

Again, the fire-breather loosened up and relaxed into the sandwich he was currently in, wriggling around to curl up against Sheik, who had easily gone back to sleep, yawning.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Roy?" Pit asked, smiling at him again, scratching his friend's head, "We'll all need it for tomorrow."

Roy nodded, already noticing the effects of his earlier nightmare had gone: and the darkness wasn't so bad right now either. "Yeah, I will." He wriggled around again to face Pit, kissing his cheek softly. "Thank you."

The winged strongman blinked in confusion, but his face broke out into a smile. "No problem, Roy," he said, hugging him again, "anytime you get scared, you can hop over here. Okay? No different from the streets now."

The pyro smiled and nodded again as he shut his eyes. For the first time ever, the fire-breather fell back asleep easily, all thoughts of his nightmares gone, and replaced with a warm comfort that came from being cuddled between his two new friends.

* * *

* * *

**Roy is another of my fav characters to work with. He's destructive but so cute :3 And Sheik is in Pit's room naked because she was bored, Pit was horny and the ringmaster was playing with his kitty *bored eye roll.***

**Oh, and the kiss means nothing. Unless we're looking at Nana and Popo's kisses (kisses of a real couple) most Circo De la Luna kisses are either lust or friendship... I'll explain more of this later.**

**Now, some of you have asked me if you can use the Circo De la Luna in your own crossovers. Crossover your unique AU (example: all the smashers are characters from the Wizard of Oz) withe the Circo De la Luna and see what sparks fly. I'm okay with that as long as you note me first! Fanart already doesn't need permission... show me when your done!**

**Thanks ya'll and Review!**


	10. Early Mornings

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing! So that's SSB. I'll do the Peach thing later. I have it on my computer... but... filler time ^^ AGAIN!**

**Fanservice. Best way to start the chapter and creep you all out XD.**

* * *

The thick tongue, dripping the hot saliva over his face and naked, chiseled abs woke the ringmaster from his deep slumber. The lids closing sapphire orbs flew open to see his faithful pet, lying on his chest, passionately licking the light sleeping man awake. He gave a low growl and received an equally gravelly one in return before an affectionate nip on his on his right ear.

"I have to get that fucking tent up today, don't I?" Used to the morning greeting and the completely unnecessary swearing, Link nodded as the master sat up, sliding the half human onto his blanket covered lap. "Heh... or rather, I get our strongman to do it. Hmm?" Lion Link yawned lazily as he curled up on the bluenette's legs. His way of agreeing. However, Link's relaxed face scrunched up in a stinging pain as the ringmaster began tracing his rough fingers over the whip marks on the blonde's back. Faint traces of blood came off onto his fingers from the barely formed scabs. "We had fun last night... didn't we?"

Receiving more of a snarl then a growl in response; the bluenette chuckled and climbed out of the tiny bed into his underwear and the rugged cream pants of usual circus garb. He shot a final look at the lion who was diving under and snuggling back into the covers of the now vacant bed. Ike gave one more 'titch' of his tongue as the imposing man walked outside to observe the new location of the circus.

The first thing he noticed was skid marks from the caravans. He groaned. He hated when Samus and Sheik drove... so recklessly but at least this time they got here in one piece. Of course, he'd have to lecture them the risk of someone following said skid marks... but like they would really listen to him.

Ike looked around at the shadow covered plains, where the circus caravans (in a somewhat circular shape) were parked. Taking in the new... bloodless air, the ringmaster cast the tiniest... yet malicious smirk. The small town of Onett was nearby... filled with plenty of bored citizens to watch their show.

At first, Ike puzzled why Peach was not already up making breakfast. Usually, she would have been up ages ago, bustling about making morning tea and coffee while serving up some well-needed breakfast. So where was she?

The ringmaster was about to bellow her name before remembering it was her wedding anniversary today. She would probably spend it meditating in isolation. Curling the corners of his mouth down in irritation (he had to make his breakfast himself now), the ringmaster grabbed the unopened can of coke that had rolled from his room to the earth and walked across the field to the small caravan of his strongman. He looked at his watch.

It was only 5 AM and he knew most of the group went to bed late. Would he really be that inconsiderate to wake up the tired winged teenager at this ungodly hour?

He began banging on the door.

"PIT! WAKE UP YOU LAZY WHORE! WE GOT LIFTING TO DO! GET UP NOW!" he yelled as he rapped the door. He really wanted to break it down but payments for the door was an investment he would rather not invest in.

Inside said caravan, a pair of cranky, blood red, blood-shot eyes flew open and the owners lips pursed together. It searched the bed it was in and the thin figure emitted a hellish growl as it spotted red hair right next to it.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

Roy blinked, now suddenly awake, and stared at the glaring woman. He gulped as he looked back at Pit, who was still fast asleep before moving his eyes down to where she was staring. Her arm was slung around him like a bolster...

"Umm... morning?"

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Oh god... Sheik was being touched. She hated human interaction more then Samus did... He was screwed.

Ringmaster Ike didn't have to wait long for someone to answer the door... but not as most would have expected. Hearing a piercing screech from inside, the leader of the circus stood to the side as the door was ripped off its hinges due to a certain red haired teenager being thrown at it. Both door and fire breather fell onto the floor unceremoniously. Slight blood was coming from Roy's face, but due to the shrieks of pain he was making, the ringmaster could tell he was okay. Next to be thrown at the ringleader (but still missing him completely) was a naked angel who landed on top of Roy. Both boys yelled.

"Damn... I will need to get that door fixed."

"Is that all you can say to us?" Pit snapped.

The ringmaster didn't respond. Only moved his head back slightly as no less then: three bloody knives, eighteen needles, two books, a metal pole, a small cabinet of drawers, a broken bottle, an old alarm clock, an empty bottle of whipped cream, a broken beer bottle, a blindfold tied around a rock, two pairs of handcuffs covered in some white gooey substance and a rope tied into a noose flew past him.

Once again... Ike's injuries: zero. Pit and Roy's: ... Peach and Marth were going to have so much fun trying to patch these two nuts up. At least the damage was minimized to bruises and shallow cuts.

"SHUT UP IKE, YOU BASTARD! LEAVE ME TO SLEEP!" Sheik screeched as loud as she could. Despite her words, she was wide awake now, and standing next to the bed. Ike had the nerve to laugh at the psychotic woman inside, wondering if she would throw the mattress as well.

"Hmmm... Do you still have something to throw or may I go in now?" In response, Sheik threw another knife instead, this one missing the ringmaster's leg by an inch and impaling Pit's arm. Ike rolled his eyes and walked over to his strongman, as the brunette screamed, and wrenched the blade out of his flesh. Ike dropped the cutting tool as the two collapsed circus members tried to get up. Yep. Still no serious injury.

"And you sleep with her why?" Roy asked his best friend, as he spat out the grass in his mouth. Pit groaned, ripping the blindfold off the rock and tying it around his arms. It took a few minutes for the strongman to respond.

"...Damn, she may be a crazy bitch..." a smirked curled its way across his face. "Heh... but when she seats her fine ass in the bed and starts taking..."

"Don't need to hear it! LALALALALALALA!" screamed Roy as he childishly stuck his fingers in his ears. After kicking the fire breather's head, the Ringmaster scowled as the brunette of the group zipped up his laughter.

"Roy, don't be immature. Pit, get up. The tent won't set itself up... so get fixed and get moving!" The two newer members stared at him in disbelief. Finally, the winged boy growled a little at the larger man.

"Fuck you."

"Don't tempt me."

* * *

She missed them.

By about three months she had missed them.

She couldn't believe it. She was furious. Enraged. Her whole body trembled with anger and hatred as she kicked the ground where the faded tracks had been.

It had taken precious weeks to find out this location. Pressing interrogations, a crude lifestyle hiding from the authorities, tiring magical rituals, grueling research on the deaths of their audience... all to find that they were gone. All her hard work for absolutely nothing.

She had no grudge against the rest of the circus, but...

Every second she lived made her sick to the bone. She was still out and free. She was still taking lives away in the same way she did her. It didn't matter that she also killed to survive. It was just the fact that she was probably free and happy.

"I will get you..." The figure, promising dread so dearly, repeated it by every low breath. "I will get you... Just like you got me..."

* * *

**Moral of the story: Never piss Sheik off in the mornings lest we get something impaled in our heads.**

**Gah! I forgot to introduce the mysterious figure last chapter. It won't make a difference though, she'll come when she comes.**

**Next chapter will be the long awaited backstory of Lady Peach Mario! ... I'm scared you lot won't be satisfied though.**

**Review!**


	11. History: Lucario Peach Mario

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing! So that's SSB.**

**Merry Christmas! Sorry for no crappy XMAS special, but here's the most epic Lucario!Peach backstory... the short version!**

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"Back straight young woman! Straighten your posture! Do you want to be mistaken for some commoner? Elbows out further miss!" It's what her mother wanted to say and what was what she was telling her with her cold dark brown eyes. The young blonde withheld her sigh and complied with the woman's demands. Day after day she was told to live her life differently; but she never complained because it was simply not ladylike. She was apparently far more superior then any commoner to disobey.

"I've done as you have requested mother." All around, the ladies at the table laughed at the girl and the blonde teenager just sank back into her seat. The old, wrinkly half-ape woman sitting next to her gave her a delicate laugh as she patted the blonde teenager on the head with her furred hand. The girl cringed in disgust, feeling her rough bristles on her neck.

"She's such a sweet dear; you've trained her so well Plum."

"Awww, thanks Candy," the woman grinned as she looked at her daughter, "Peach may not be upper class material yet but soon she'll be one of us. Then she'll reap the benefits of our new government." Peach again suppressed a rebellious sigh; there they go again, wind bagging about the "revolutionary parliamentary system.' She had heard them go on and on about it every time they had one of these... socialite meetings.

And she was absolutely sick of it.

She couldn't go out into the streets without hearing words that had been repeated for months on end. "Yoshi elected Premier of Mushroom Country... blah blah blah... people elected Prime Minister Shadow Hedgehog of Smashtopolis." She may of had Mushroom blood in her; but that didn't mean she wanted to hear non-humans go on and on about the first government ever to not have a human in a position of power. Politics was such a nuisance...

"I know! She should be so excited to be in such a fortunate position," said a particularly thin yet hideous pink dinosaur, "if I was in her shoes at seventeen, I would be so excited. Highest status, most extravagant clothes... so privileged... makes me want to cry." It was funny; they were talking about her but she was not permitted to speak up. All she could do was sit and listen while drinking disgusting, expensive tea and munching on the most extravagantly vile-tasting fat free biscuits.

She was so tired of these meaningless discussions.

"Speaking of clothes; have you seen the latest shipment from 'De la Course'? It's simply divine dears. I got this cute number from there as well." The older women laughed gaily and again began chatting about some nonsense that Peach couldn't stand.

Meaningless words, unwanted chatter, dead values.

She wanted so much more...

"Mother, may I please be excused from the table. I wish to speak to the servants about a private issue." The lady's way of saying they're going to bitch about life to people under their foot. Of course, Peach would never voice that opinion. That was simply not ladylike, but Plum must have thought that she had been very good during this tea party as she gave an affectionate smile and gave a curt nod. Peach rose up and gave a small curtsy to the older women before walking out of the stuffy living room into the long corridors.

She breathed in the air as she walked promptly through the corridors. Even outside of her mother's attentive eyes, she had to still act proper. That meant no running indoors, lest the servant Toads see her.

This was her life. Stuck inside four beautifully furnished walls and forced to be her mother's mannequin. Even her mindset had been tuned to nothing but a repetitive schedule of a proper lady. Peach's lovely gloved hand touched the doorknob of the kitchen and was about to enter the tiled establishment before she turned and looked down the winding corridor where two large wooden doors led to the outside.

It wasn't very ladylike... but her mother wouldn't mind if she was gone for two hours. Right?

* * *

_"...And the bare birds still keep crying_  
_ 'Cause they know they can't fly out._  
_ The children's hearts still are dying_  
_ 'Cause they don't believe in the world anymore._

_But I still believe that I can fight for my cause._  
_ For my cause._  
_ So I'll be the revolution._  
_ I'll be the revolution._  
_ I'll be the revolution and... finally..._  
_ Break out of this... cage."_

As her voice faded out, the people in the dingy tavern began cheering wildly. Her cheeks flushed a hot red as people went as far as standing up for her and clapping. Although she didn't need the money, such joy filled her when the small bag she had brought with was stuffed to the brim with small coins, rupees and notes. She scooped up the overflowing bag and gave another womanly curtsy to the audience before hightailing it out of the bar despite the numerous demands for an encore.

It was later then she thought, and her mother would kill her for being absent for the last three hours, but it was worth it. It was a good day and she made heaps of money. She went a new route home by following an old street, occasionally stopping and placing stacks of coins where she thought homeless people and furries lived. Today, she didn't have the pleasure of giving the money to needy citizens, but her press for time to get back to her mansion didn't invoke any hollow feelings. Peach ran through the alleyway, enjoying the freedom that reckless running in sneakers and pink shorts could provide, until she heard a loud cough from behind her.

"Umm... excuse me. Are you that fantastic singer from 'The Thwomp Twackaraoke bar'?" The azure eyed woman turned to see a huge, burly, green-shelled Koopa; but this one had fiery red hair, horns and spikes on his shell, not unlike a Spiny. For such a dirty alleyway, he was wearing an expensive black suit and he panted a bit before placing a large claw on her.

"Ye... yes. May I help you?"

"My name is Bowser Koopa..."

"No way!" Peach suddenly exclaimed. He looked at her and she blushed: That wasn't very ladylike... but then again, he was the single most successful talent scout in the Mushroom Country... no... In all of Smashtopolis! "I mean... I beg your pardon... but are you THE Bowser Koopa? The King of the..."

"Music industry?"

"Yes," he laughed

"I am he."

"Oh my... what can I do for you Mister Koopa?" Though she was rich; the famous always were a rank ahead of her class and she had to treat him with the utmost amount of grace and respect. However, the green monster-like figure stopped her from curtsying and gave a sharp, fanged smile at her.

"Call me Bowser, my dear."

"Pleasure to meet you then. I'm Peach Yamase."

"Well Miss Peach; you're quite the singer and dancer. I heard you at the Karaoke bar today... well... actually I've had my eye on you for quite some time. I know you make regular appearances there," Peach blushed, "and I was thinking... would you like to go professional?"

"I'm sorry?" she asked in surprise.

"Have you ever dreamed of getting out of the Mushroom Country? See the world and meet new people. Have a purpose?" It was as if he knew every desire she had. She didn't want all of that... she craved it. "I can make you a star."

"Oh... I... wow. This is so sudden!"

"Don't worry about it! I'll start you up and then before you know it: with your talent and my marketing, you'll be on top of the world." Peach could feel her eyes glowing, but she was still hesitant. What would her mother think? Surely the uptight woman would disapprove... but Peach had dealt with what she had disapproved of all her life. Now her mother could eat her choices.

"Stick with me kid. You've heard of the new government? Without me; you're probably going to end up on the streets like every other human." Peach could barely hear his entire sentence.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind... here's my card. Have a think about it."

* * *

"Peach, come here," Plum called her daughter sharply. The blonde tried to make a grab for the door but the dark haired woman had a firm grip on her arm. "I thought I'd already discussed this with you. You are a lady and you do not reduce yourself to commoner's acts like pop singing. But evidently you aren't heeding what I said." She glared at her daughter and, confident she wouldn't move, folded her arms across her chest.

Peach, who had been until then trying to look bored and nonchalant, now glared back at her mother, her flashing blue eyes mirroring that of the older woman. "Mother, I'm nineteen and of age! I know what you wish for me to do but when is it my turn to take hold of my own life?" She was sick of being a lady and she threw her hands up in exasperation and, thinking the 'lecture' was over, turned on her heel and sauntered towards the door.

"Stop right there, young lady." The icy tone in her mother's voice instinctively compelled the yellow haired teenager to stop in her tracks. Peach learnt from experience that whenever her mother spoke with this tone, she was in for trouble. Big trouble. She slowly turned to face her mother. She needed to accept Bowser's invitation. All day she had been thinking about it and now she had grown restless. Unable to act like the lady she was supposed to be, and before she could stop herself, an impudent, "What, now?" had escaped her lips.

When Peach saw her mother stiffen and turn livid with rage upon hearing those two words, she knew this was the end.

Plum dropped the plates against the floor in a rage. The sudden, loud clattering sound startled Peach, and before she knew it, her right cheek was stinging from the tight slap her mother had just given her.

Tears sprang to Peach's eyes, both from the pain, and because of the indigence she was feeling towards her mother. She touched the still-tingling skin of her cheek, both angry and humiliated. Her mother had never hit her that way before.

"That'll teach you some manners, young lady. You're grounded until you get these silly ideas out if your head!" She then snapped her fingers and servant Toads swept the mess up as if nothing had happened.

Feeling the tide of anger surge higher within her, Peach yelled at her mother. The first time she had ever done so, "Fine! If I have to live with your rules when I live in this mansion... no... This prison, I simply won't! I'm leaving!" Without another word, Peach stumbled upstairs to her room.

Thinking that this was but an empty threat, Mrs. Yamase resumed to her work, but much to her dismay, Peach soon reemerged from the stairs, carrying a small rucksack that had seemed to be packed for ages. While she longed to take her daughter into her arms and apologize for hitting her earlier, her pride dictated that she should not succumb to emotional blackmail. Still, it took much effort for her to stop herself from taking a last glance at Peach and appear to be concentrating on her chores.

The front door closed with a slam.

* * *

_"You thought you knew me_  
_ You thought you could control me_  
_ But what I realize now,_  
_ is that you can't do such_  
_ You're never going to influence me that much."_

Peach belted out lyrics as she ran away from the only home she had ever known, casting away the ugly ruffled dress and revealing the pink shirt and jeans she had been hiding underneath it.

_"You tried to tell me what to do_  
_ You tried to make me somebody just like you_  
_ But now I'm out that door,_  
_ You can't see my face anymore."_

Her azure eyes shined with a new vigor as she kicked off her heels and ran barefoot towards the address Bowser gave her, now tightly clutched into her hand.

_"I am stronger than you will ever know_  
_ Come a little closer now and I'll give you a show"_

Peach ripped off the bun and tiara-like hair band supporting her hair in a bun; letting rich curls fall down her shoulders and rush in the wind.

_"For I am me_  
_ So I am free_  
_ And I'll run away to live another day."

* * *

_

* * *

_ "For I am me_  
_ So I am free..."_

A noisy opening of a door and a slight hesitation, "And you were just listening to the #1 hit single of the month: Free Bearings by, the Princess of the Mushroom Country, Peach Toadstool. The music goddess is probably at the height of her career will be performing her next live concert at t-" A laugh and the rusty door slammed behind us. With Bowser's heavy arm around my shoulder, I giggled as I walked out of the small yet noisy bar, hearing them scream my name after me as we went into the veil of the late night. Bowser and I weren't tipsy... I think but we definitely had a few drinks. After all, we were celebrating my anniversary of when I first went on tour. It was the anniversary of a very important day for both of our careers and we had just celebrated it properly yet quietly.

"That was a great party Peachy..."

"I know Bow Bow..." I giggled shrilly as we slowly made our way along," but seriously! Three years... three years..."

"Three years since we met..."

"Three years since we became partners..."

"Three years to the end of time." We laughed. Okay... maybe we were a bit tipsy. In fact, I wasn't even sure where I was going. Bowser looked like he did; although he definitely had a few more beers then I had martinis. Still... my head was beating like a drum and there were all these beautiful, weird flashing lights that obscured my vision. Heh, everything looked topsy turvy. I trusted Bowser though... I had trusted him after three years and intended to continue as such.

"Hey Bowser?" I think my words may have been slurred.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going? My head hurts." He chuckled at my childish whining, quietly.

"Some place nice and quiet. Your head will be fixed soon."

_"He's lying!"_

_"Burn the witch!"_

_"Only friendship can cure a lightning bolt to the forehead"_

_"Godzilla is a demon! Stay on target and bolt!"_

_"You're so dead, Peach."_

I shook my head to the sparkling fairies... or were they lights? I'm not sure, they were pretty either way.

"Bowser's my friend... he'd never hurt me." I mumbled. The giant Koopa I called my manager looked at me.

"Sure you didn't have too much to drink?" He was grinning. His teeth seemed to be showing wider then usual though...

"I'm good," I giggled again as he grinned that feral smile and led me through an alleyway; not very different to where we first met. The air was freezing cold and I could smell the toxic fumes of rotting trash. Yet still, I innocently smiled as my manager lay be straight up against the wall and allowed me to catch my breath, "Hey Bowser? Whatcha doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago..." I looked at him as he growled. Yet, my mind did not fully comprehend what was happening as my arms were pinned down and his dry breath flickered onto my skin. I coughed in the midst of my tipsy giggles.

"Well you should have known that I would have listened to your idea..." I started before he roared over me.

"No... You wouldn't have. Do you know why? What do you think me of?"

"A friend?"

"Exactly! I want you! I want your body. I have for the longest time... and I will have it," his scaly lips crashed into mine and my eyes widened. It was as if his disgusting touch had woken me from my drunkenness. I tried to push him away but he was too strong. Only of his own accord did he move away from me and grin. My mouth felt like it was filled with bile. I had never felt so violated... so broken. I had trusted him.

"Why-" I muttered as he began undressing me, loosening my dress straps.

"You don't pay attention to me enough," he spat at me. I let out a cry as his claw slipped in his sudden outburst and ripped open my skin. As the crimson liquid dripped onto my now exposed bra, I screamed. He was going to rape me. I knew it... but how could we. Didn't he say I could feel safe with him? I could rely on him? I wasn't feeling secure at all with him pining me against an alley wall half dressed.

"HELP!"

"Shut up," he growled again as he forced his mouth and his sweltering tongue in my mouth. I tried to bite him but I couldn't resist. He was definitely in control. "You're so annoying. Can't you see I want you now? I've been patient too long."

I was hoping this was a nightmare. I wanted to wake up and see Bowser knocking at my door so I could get dressed for my next concert or recording... not this. Anything but this. Rape was scary, horrific and so very real. My eyes were now red as they kept fishing out silent tears: I shut them tight so my vision wouldn't have to suffer anymore from this... horrific act my friend was about to commit. He was in full awareness... I couldn't blame drunkenness. Bowser had finished taking all my buckles off and had his claw up my skirt and into my underwear.

Without warning monster in front of me roared and I suddenly felt his weight shift off me. My legs felt as weak as jelly as I collapsed to my knees and fell forwards. I wasn't hurt... but I was... paralyzed because... shock maybe? I apologize, I'm not sure.

To this day, I really, truly regret ever agreeing to this life in the first place.

The first thing I was truly aware of was that there was something or some_one_ in front of me. It was large, stout even, and seemed to undulate with every breath. My intoxication distorted this figure a bit, so one moment he was a mass of color that seemed to move with the slight breeze. The next, he was naught but a shadow and the only color on him I was able to see was red.

Blood red.

A roar ripped its way to my eardrums. Then, the cruel whistling of a claw slicing through air. The strange pulsing figure in front of me leaped to the side and pulled something long and silvery out of nowhere. It flashed through the air…

A roar seemed to shatter the air itself. I could see Bowser's claws swiping at the strange person in the faint light. But though this person was stout, he was quick on his feet. With every swipe, every stomp, he would always be able to dodge it.

Who was he…?

"GET BACK! GO HOME, VERMIN! SHE IS MINE!"

The figure stopped suddenly. For a moment, I thought he was going to give up. He was breathing very heavily, his hands reaching for his sides.

But then it happened…

_Vroom! Vroom! Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_

Whirling blades lit the night…

Bowser recoiled and tried to run…

It was too late…

A single shriek pierced the still night…

Then, silence.

Strange warmth washed over me, an even stranger smell reached me and the strangest of all tastes entered my mouth. However, the warmth was soon replaced with cold as the fluid all over me touched the night air. The smell that reached me was stronger now, coppery like blood. The taste was unlike anyone had ever tasted

Any sane woman would have taken this chance to run.

But I was no longer a sane woman.

Someone was bent over me. Kind, strong hands, not cold claws like Bowser's, gently touched my body. But unlike Bowser's demanding, evil touch, this was warm, loving, and above all, concerned. When they found nothing upon me that was completely life damaging, the hands left me.

My heart skipped a beat.

"You should go home..."

The voice was kind, concerned. It belonged to a man. And there was just the barest hint of an Italian accent…

I had left my family to go on tour…

"I don't have one but I used to share apartment belongs to that Koopa you just killed…" my voice choked and I could say nothing.

"I see... you should go back and forget this happened. Farewell..." he stood up and turned to leave.

No… he can't!

I desperately grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back to me. "Please... let me come with you."  
**

* * *

**

**2 years later**

Peach smiled as she looked at the pure white circus tent and went inside. Most girls dreamed of having luxurious mansions with lots of servants, but Peach wouldn't exchange what she had for the world. She lived an exciting life... but it was dangerous as well.

Before Mario had started the circus, he was denounced as a doctor and was titled 'mad,' but it was because of this, "madness", that he was able to blend in with the outcasts of society. 'Antromorphic' and Pokemon (or more commonly referred to as 'Furries'). He had walked and talked amongst them and eventually they had trusted him with secrets no one should ever speak. Secrets that were hideous and deranged. Peach herself didn't know any of them but her faith in Mario and the rumored murders and planned genocides made sense and allowed her to follow her husband faithfully. She wasn't the only one who believed him; his brother and two of their closest friends listened to the revolutionary doctor as well. Freedom of speech and spreading ideas were not illegal; but if anyone caught wind of what kind of news they were spreading against the current government... imprisonment would be the least of their worries.

Walking into the arena, towards her caravan, the blonde's azure eyes stopped at what was on the table in the center of the ring: ten fat, juicy, bloody, steaks. There, Red the fire juggler was staring at Solid Snake, the escape artist of the early circus.

"What in the name of god did you buy?" Red asked with his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

"Steak," Snake replied, "obvious enough for you?"

Red continued to stare wide-eyed. "Flesh…of an animal…bloody, gross, flesh…"

"Boy, what's the matter? It's just some steak. Everyone likes meat. Nice, tasty, juicy meat." he ripped a steak out of it's plastic and Styrofoam wrapping and ate it, raw and whole. "Ya know what ya need in your diet, Red?" Snake asked the brunette. "More meat. Puts hair on ya chest. I mean, just look at me!" he said between mouthfuls of steak. Then, he ripped open his shirt.

Red's eyes become even wider than before, if possible. "Ewww! Double gross! You just ate raw steak and took your bloody shirt off! What is wrong with you? For the love of God! Don't you care about E. Coli?"

"No." He answered. He shrugged, seeming oblivious and even innocent to what was wrong with eating raw meat. Well, to a psycho like Snake, a E. Coli probably wasn't much.

"I can't believe I live with you." Red took a breath. Clearly, he had no clue that the juggler was a vegetarian, (either that or he simply didn't care, which would be very much like him.)

"Oh, wait… you hate meat, don't you?"

"Gee, how'd you figure that out?" he asked sarcastically.

"You know that I'm not good at figuring out things! Well you should know how to eat meat!"

"Meat is crude and disgusting! I hardly expect for you to pick up the fruit..." That was Peach's cue to come in. You know, before the fight got messy.

"Good evening boys," the woman chirped. The men looked at her and smiled.

"Morning Peach. How was work?" As expected, the vegetarian verses carnivore fight ended and the two men had directed their attention to the only lady in the circus.

"Fine, I have a new CD and some new pictures... but you're not seeing them." Snake groaned as Peach skipped out towards where her husband was talking to his brother; trying to help his bro's clown/acrobatic act by teaching Luigi how to ride a unicycle.

Amused, the singer watched for a while as the two brothers goofed around and laughed at their mistakes. When the ringleader of the circus looked to see his wife watching, he ran to her and picked her up before swinging her around happily. Peach gave a laugh.

"You would think that you haven't seen me in years instead of hours sweetie," she laughed as the ringleader put her down and kissed her.

"Shows how much I miss you. So... how's my princess been today? And my little prince?" he whispered as he patted the near flat stomach of his wife. She giggled again; not embarrassed that everyone was watching their flirtatious ways.

"Could be a girl you know," Peach indicated her bun-in-the-oven.

"Don't care. I love the both of you."

Peach had to admit that she did miss her city home, but she quickly adapted to her life at the circus as a novelty fortune teller and busker. Traveling for months on end with some of her closest friends; performing live for countless of people... perhaps some could argue that it wasn't the best environment for a child to grow up, but Peach could beg to differ. It was a lot safer then some of the cities. Mario's predictions were right. A long time ago; he said there was to be many deaths of humans. The purpose of the circus was to warn people of the oncoming genocides. Slowly... it became apparent that something was wrong with the world but still many humans refused to believe the terror forming.

It frustrated the pregnant woman sometimes but she tolerated it. On days they rested, Peach dwelled on the day's events through meditation she had learnt off a parenting book; she couldn't do it today as her husband pressed his ear against her pale stomach.

"Might I ask what you're doing?"

"I need to find the heart beat..."

The fortune teller rolled her eyes but said nothing. She knew that her boss was just as interested in the baby as anyone. And, especially since her belly had begun to swell, he had been checking more and more often to make sure that it was healthy.

At that moment, Red waltzed in, two large mugs in his hands. He froze in his path and cocked his head to one side, staring at the kind ringmaster.

"Um...Should I ask?" He started, hesitating to give Peach her cup.

"Just a check-up..." Mario said, lifting his head and placing a flat palm across the woman's stomach.

"Ah ha!" He shouted after a few minutes. "I found it!"

"Really? Where? Can I touch?" Both circus members shot a look at the boy and the brunette was silenced.

"Sorry, hon..." Peach smiled apologetically, "no one lays hands on me except for my Italian meatball."

Red however, smirked at Mario's nickname, as Mario put his second palm on the bulging belly, and began to rub his hands all over her.

"Ah! Young teenager here! Keep it PG!" the three laughed before Peach started violently coughing. Mario looked at her in concern as the woman rubbed her throat.

"I need to find some vibe crystals. They make excellent brew for tea and it soothes the throat... it should relax me yet give me energy. You know how it is these days, everything has just been so hectic..."

"Well... we're stopping near another town soon. We'll get you some while we're there," the two smiled and kissed.

"Get a room."

"Shut it Red."

* * *

At last, they reached the store. Peach didn't hesitate to lunge for the door, desperate to get out of the horde of Furries on the street. She grabbed the dark, dusty bronze handle and shrieked as a sharp electric shock was sent through her arm.

"What... what that!" she shouted, her eyes now glowing with apprehension.

Mario stared at her, then the knob. It didn't look any different from and other door handle. His eyebrow raised.

"Peachy, what are you talking about?" He asked, grabbing the door himself. He too cried out as a shock was sent through his limb as well. "Holy mother of a Koopa!" he swore, yanking his hand back.

"This better not be some kind of joke!" Peach shouted, giving the wooden door a harsh kick with the toe of her high heels.

"Oh, I assure you, it's not." A familiar smug voice rang in their ears.

The couple spun around to find the glinted ruby eyes of their "beloved" chief of police, standing with a gun pointed, and Mewtwo. The Pokemon seemed to be levitating in air, crossing his legs in an effeminate way as he floated.

"What the hell do you want...?" Mario snarled as he looked at the bird and Pokemon. Peach glared. She knew this person. This was the person who first tried to silence them when the stupid government found out that they were spreading the news about their corruption. This bird was the one who made it... necessary to start killing.

"Just saying hi and wanting to let you know how Officer Ivysaur enjoyed your last show," Falco sarcastically chirped.

Mario glared at the two, not taking his eyes off of them for a single moment. He started to feel confused when Falco just stood there, smiling proudly, as if he just did something amazing which was only nodding at his companion Pokemon.

But suddenly, his questions were answered as an incredibly sharp pain stabbed Peach's side and caused her to cry out in pain. She clutched her rounded belly and shrieked as the pain was elevated, like knives flying in every direction inside her body. Her arms and legs lost their power and began to shrivel up, as if the muscle was being sucked out of them. The blonde began to stumble before falling at full force.

Mario caught his wife as the model fell to her knees, screaming in agony. "What's wrong? What the hell is going on!" She couldn't answer. It was impossible. The only sounds she was capable were painful cries an shrieks. A salty crimson liquid filled her throat and she choked as it leaked out of the sides of her mouth. Mario's eyes widened as the blood slid down the her chin.

"What did you do!" The ex-doctor turned his attention back to the two, who were very amused.

"Take a guess little man." Mario snarled again at Mewtwo but a sudden cry from his wife kept him from attacking. She was getting dizzy from lack of oxygen and wouldn't stop spitting up bits of blood.

The suffering wouldn't end there. Much to her dismay, Peach's entire mouth flooded with liquid and she hurled blood all over the pavement. It splashed in every direction and spotted her face. Peach's eyes widened at the sight, quickly putting two and two together.

"No..." She choked, feeling more fluid rush up her throat. It too spilled on to the sidewalk and the diva began to scream once more, but even more loudly and desperately this time. "Oh god no!"

A huge wave of horror and sadness hit Mario like a ton of bricks as he watched his wife shriek louder than ever over the pool of blood coating the floor.

"God damn it, no!" She continued to yell, not caring if she was wasting precious oxygen. "You sick monsters!" It was then Falco tried to go in to collect his prizes but, taking out a surprise gooey bomb, Mario threw it at the two; causing a massive explosion that forced both Mewtwo and Falco to take cover.

Mario bit his lip and knelt down beside his wife, picked her bridal style up with surprising strength and ran. She continued to spew blood all over him.

"It's gone! My baby! It's splattered all over the ground! It's gone!" she cried as they fled into the night.

* * *

The operating theatre. He hoped that she would never have to be here... but she did. Mewtwo had screwed her insides up so much and she had lost so much blood; he had no choice. He had to save her... but he had to find a compatible sample.

Luigi was the one who suggested using a Lucario, despite Mario's hatred for all Pokemon, but it was the best one given. Lucarios were intelligent, easy to find, very strong and had a plentiful bounty of blood... plus it was compatible with the Toad-blood Peach had. He had to take off as much of her limbs as she could... they were dying as her body retracted the blood from those areas, centering it on her organs.

Wasting no time, after putting Peach into a heavily drugged sleep. Mario grabbed a saw and began surgically opening up her stomach; as if a cesarean. Even if he had seen plenty of bloody and dead carcasses before, it filled him with disgust and heartbreak when he looked inside Peach's body. There was the mangled body of the infant she carried: large but with arms and legs ripped off it and a good portion of its bloody head in a large dent. It had choked on its own umbilical cord and it looked like some rabid dog had torn the baby girl's insides apart.

The doctor quickly cut the baby out and removed it from Peach's body before placing it on the bench beside him. He wanted to let his emotions flow out and show his tears: but he didn't want two people he cared about to die.

Snake had brought in a female Lucario and killed the bitch quickly. No remorse, no second thoughts about consequences... there was nothing. The second the light went out of its eyes, Mario sawed off the blue creature's legs and went back to Peach.

Praying this would work, Mario was about to cut off his wife's own limbs, biting his tongue when he saw how... dead the body parts looked. Her whole body seemed to be affected: her face, arms, back and her chest. He had to do a full body operation. He had to save her.

He began to cut.

* * *

Peach poked her Lucario head through the doorway. Mario sat in the dark, his legs pulled up to his chest. He was thinking about everything and yet, nothing.

The deformed diva didn't bother to turn on the light and made her florescent eyes helped her maker her way over to the Ringmaster. Every month, around this time, the other circus members went on a murder/terrorize-the-shit-out-of-the-town spree and they still hadn't come back. With her long ears, Peach could still hear the distant screams of the citizens as the circus raged on. Most likely, Snake had found a bazooka and was taking his anger out on the soldiers that were sent to stop them. Poor, poor soldiers.

"Mario..." Peach whispered, approaching her husband with caution. "Please don't stay up here in the dark..."

The ringleader looked at her from beneath his hat. His eyes looked dead in the dark and Peach could see a faint tinge of redness around his eyes, despite his feeble attempt at shielding them. However, he did uncurl himself and scooted closer to the Lucario Pokemorph. Peach smiled weakly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Peach... Stop it." Mario said monotonously. The woman blinked, confused.

"What are you-?"

"Stop pretending to be happy." The ringleader's eyes actually gained some sort of life, though it was unreadable. "You've been putting on that smile for 5 months. Even after you found out we can't have another child, you watched the world burn... hell, you allow me to bring back enemies of war in our bedroom and you still smile. Well, this time, I know for a damn fact you're not happy. And I am not going to allow you pretend to be happy for my sake."

Peach bit her lip and stared at her spouse. He was dead serious.

"B-but..." She stuttered, the sinking feeling in her chest becoming more and more apparent. So he did know she was hiding her emotions...

"No buts. You're going to tell me exactly how you feel," Mario said firmly, "Right now. No bottling up. You tell me right now how hurt you are that our baby is splattered on the pavement in front of an antique tea shop!"

Peach felt her bottom lip quiver. She, like most in the city world, were raised that crying was wrong in every aspect; no matter what the scenario. But now her own husband was telling, no, demanding she let him know exactly how she felt. How did she feel? She knew it hurt, she knew how sorrowful it was, but how did she feel?

"I..." Peach struggled to find the words. The mustached man continued to stare at her with those dead blank eyes and a frown on his lips. The blue furred lady couldn't hold back any more and threw her head in his lap, tears spilling madly.

"Oh god, It hurts Mario," she cried, clutching his large waist tightly. "It hurts so much..."

The ringmaster bit his lip, trying to hold back his own sadness, as hypocritical as that was. He was failing miserably.

"I know..." His voice cracked as he held his wife's head close to his chest. "I know, baby..." He narrowed his eyes angrily at the floor, refusing to speak further about it anymore, for fear of shouting unnecessary swears. "If that's how the world stretched its boundaries..." he mumbled to himself as he stroked his wife's hair, he turned to the desk at his latest plans and gave a determined growl, "Then I'll go even further..."

* * *

**Present time**

She woke up crying. It had seemed that everything spiraled down after his death. It was so... odd how Mario died... just peacefully in his sleep after a long night of work on yet another of his insane ideas. He was old and it was to be expected he would move on eventually... but Peach especially thought her man would go down fighting. Not under her in their bed, cuddled in their bed, in the realm of dreams.

"Does the aura want me to reminisce the lessons of the past? Or does it merely want me to ponder of my future?" The half-Lucario looked at the crude fusion of her hands and paws before staring at the ceiling. What if... she still had the child? What would he or she look like? A blend between her and Mario, or something resembling a bit of her circus children? In fact, now that she was quiet and her tears had reduced in their flow, she had realized most of her circus children looked like a potential child for her.

Sheik had the same body structure Peach had at her age. The knife-thrower had the feisty fighter personality in her... and yet, like Mario, she had a bit of warm (it was tiny) compassion inside her.

Samus could have definitely passed off as her daughter if she was human. The acrobat had that caring, free flowing nature like her own (that could be grave and serious when needed) and followed her lot in looks; luscious blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Link could have been her son too before he was mutated into his half-lion state with similar features and a more 'Mario' personality.

Also before he was genetically altered, Pit could have passed off as the spawn of Mario and her. He had Mario's brown hair, her blue eyes, and pale skin. Being the new kid along with Roy, she wasn't too sure how their personalities matched with theirs... yet.

The IJ made her want to cry sometimes. When she had first saw them bleeding and dying, she was instantly taken back to when she had lost her only child. Why wouldn't she? The twins looked like something she would have imagined her baby to look like... brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and their small bodies. Mario was always on the short side. Sometimes, she wished she could compare their personalities to before they were conjoined... other times she was glad neither twin remembered their personalities because she felt if she knew it would be too painful. Thinking about something she would never be able to back.

"Hey Lady Peach... could you please come out here now?"

The Lucario woman looked up looked quickly in the mirror across the bed. After wiping the dampness off her eyes, she stood up and opened the door to see no one. Stepping onto the dead grass that floored their campsite; Peach went around her caravan towards the campfire where the whole circus usually met. When she did, she gave a light scream of surprise as a small explosion was heard and confetti covered her.

"HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!"

The campsite was filled with pink. Pink flowers, pink streamers (that she had the distinct suspicion that said streamers were stolen) and a whole pile of pink wrapped presents (again most likely stolen) as far as the eye could see. Her hand flew to her mouth to cover her surprise as Roy grabbed her free arm and took her closer to where the group was cheering.

"HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY PEACH!"

Tears swarmed her eyes. She forced herself to look away but a smile was planted on her face. "You do realize it's not Mothers' day you guys."

"Who cares," Samus chirped, "as if we need some date to celebrate the best mother we ever had. GROUP HUG!" Sweating bodies crushed against each other and Peach allowed her tears to flow even harder. Roy, hugging her waist, looked up at her.

"Why are you crying?" As if they didn't notice her tears before; but still...

"I'm not upset... I'm just so... happy you think of me so affectionately."

"Of course we do Mrs. M!" Nana laughed

"Did not you see the redecorated room?" Peach nodded, trying to be polite about her now blood painted caravan. At least now, though it still disgusted her, it didn't look so plain.

"Why else did we get you all of these things?" Sheik chimed in, feeling particularly kind. The group nodded and handed all the presents over with the exception of Lion Link who presented an uneaten carcass of a Buneary. Peach politely refused the meal while she began opening the other gifts with the prompting of the circus.

From Sheik, she got earrings which surprised her because for her birthday, she received explosives. Pit and Roy had given her a photo of all of them a inside a home made frame. Samus and Marth also had worked together to hand-make a simple yet elegant dress. It was a few sizes too big but it was the thought that counted. Peach was crying some more when the IJ presented her rings. She was so touched that her circus family bothered to do this for her out of the blue; so touched she didn't even mind some of the rings still had chopped off fingers inside them.

Peach had never been a huge fan of gore even though she tolerated it. She was happy, though, when the circus presented a small G-rated presentation for her. The ringmaster was particularly nice, granting them all a day off of practice and training... even though they would have to work twice as hard later, it was still a nice gesture. Hugs, kisses, lack of bloodshed and rape... the day was as flawless as the circus could provide and Peach was just touched the whole time. They even were cooking her dinner for a change and, as the day slowed, the ringmaster approached her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?"

Peach looked at Roy, who had just added way too much gasoline into the fire. She nodded and allowed Ike to escort her behind the caravans out of the view of the others. "What is occurring at present?"

"What's up? I just didn't want the others to see my gift for you," the blonde looked curiously as she opened the box the ringmaster had given her. Again, her hand flew to her face as she saw the gorgeous necklace inside; dangling at the end was an early picture of her and Mario kissing. "Sorry we couldn't give you the proper celebration you deserve... Roy burnt your dinner..." he was stopped as the Lucario gave him a tight hug. The ringmaster gave the most microscopic smile, despite Peach's spike was stabbing him in the chest.

"It's beautiful Ike," she said releasing him and putting the necklace on. The bluenette quickly buttoned the top part of his jacket to stop her from seeing the blood, "and don't worry about the party. It was divine and I loved it... it's just..."

"Just..."

"I really miss the way things used to be. Back when humans and furries weren't always at war... maybe if they weren't Mario would be still here. Less weak from lack of battles..."

"So you're not happy?" Peach gave a light laugh and patted his cheek, reaching up to him.

"Everything is different... but I am happy. We're all one loving family and we enjoy life. I guess... the only things that could be better if Mario and my... my first child could be here." With a nod allowing her to, Peach sobbed into Ike's jacket while the Ringmaster shrugged and played with her hair, staring at the sky and ignoring the pain from her spike.

"I know Peach... but I promise you. I'll make it better. Enjoy the necklace because soon you'll receive my real gift to you."

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**There are three amazing people I want to thank. Lily Baden or Indieblushipper as she's known on deviantart. For helping me RP and develop the Circus characters. I get to test what personalities work and determine OOCness as well as get great backstories. The other is PitFTW, my fabulous Beta Reader. She is incredible helping me with ideas and when I get stuck, helping to get my brain working. She wrote some of this chapter because I wanted to get you all by Christmas and I did ^^.**

**And the third person? You! For reading this story. I'm so happy with all the positive feedback... a bit of a walk from the romance in this section. I was worried with all the homosexual action ((Blame horny Ringmaster)) no one would read this so I toned it wayyyy down. But you lot have stuck by me for so long... THANK YOU AND HAVE SOME GREAT HOLIDAYS!  
**

**VOTE FOR THE NEXT CIRCUS BACKSTORY ON MY POLL!  
**

**Review!**

**-Pikana  
**


	12. Mirror torture

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing! So that's SSB.**

**Yeah. Yeah. I know... late late update.**

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When he came back to his senses, the police constable groaned faintly as he was laying uncomfortably on something that felt like smooth floor. Noting there still wasn't a single source of light anywhere nearby, Chief Constable Falco Lombardi dragged himself up into a sitting position.

Falco blinked twice to try to get his thoughts together. Before visiting his wife, Kat's, grave; he was celebrating his 70th birthday as well as his 54th year in the Police department. Even if he was as old as he was, he was still at the top of his game and health; bringing in human scum on a daily basis and receiving the righteous praise and prizes he deserved. He was the main source of inspiration and the main man in the force. He was the best. He knew he was the best and he soaked up every second of it. It was all about him. The Police world directly revolved around him. Without him and his heroic antics, the cities would be grounded with human vermin tormenting innocent furries and Pokemon like they have always done. Perhaps in a similar fashion to how he was now... or worse.

The officer brought his hands on his face to check if he was blindfolded. Fortunately his touch didn't meet anything else but his own blue feathers, making the beast chuckle lightly. He wasn't even tied up or shackled - just what kind of a capture was this?

"What an amateur," the leather-clad bird mused to himself as he took out his reflector and began sending small beams of blue light around. It wasn't much, but enough to reveal that he was indeed on a dark-wooded floor, surrounded by walls which seemed metallic. Reaching his other hand forward to examine the closest wall a bit better, the police constable flinched backward a bit as it seemed like a hand reached towards him from the dark - but quickly after that he kicked himself mentally; it was just a mere reflection. Was he surrounded by mirrors? Yep... even the floor was a giant mirror. A faint snort passed the bird's beak as he rose up, swiping dirt off from his suit with his other hand.

"To be truly honest, at first I didn't actually know what I should even do with you", a smooth voice spoke up from the darkness, causing Falco flinch a bit again. Gazing around with the faint light the small, broken reflector allowed, he tried to locate the source of voice. When the try seemed to be more or less in vain, the constable simply settled for a mocking statement: "Looking at what you've done so far, I'd say you still don't know what you're doing."

He was answered with a faint chuckle which was followed by just as amused words: "Oh, I'm afraid you misunderstood me there. I just couldn't decide what would be agonizing enough for you."

"Oh, I'm terrified," the bird-creature rolled his eyes, snorting again, as he still tried to find the source of the words spoken to him.

"Please do save your sarcasm - usually it could be entertaining, but not this time", even though the voice began with the same, light tone, it dropped into a purely murderous in a matter of seconds: "Instead of watching your little plays of arrogance, I'm just waiting to see you crawling on the floor, face painted with suffering."

"How honest of you", Falco replied casually, ignoring a faint shiver sprinting up his spine due to the sudden change in the voice tone. Again, all he got back was a chuckle.

"I'm a man of a simple policy", the voice continued again, tone returning to a calm, yet sickeningly grim one: "Messing up with my circus is one thing, ruining my evening is another - but if you fuck with my crew, I'll make sure your very existence will be sorry for simply existing."

"I didn't touch your crew," he snapped back.

"Well... I'm sure you remember Mario and his wife. You and your partner Mewtwo paid them a visit at a certain tea shop."

The officer couldn't stop himself from inhaling uneasily, his mouth feeling suddenly dry. He frowned a bit, yet it didn't take too long for him to raise a smug grin back on his beak as he stated: "I'm excited to see you try."

At least now his capturer's identity had been confirmed - and Falco would pay even his prized blaster to the red-clad Master of Nightmares if he was wrong. The only mystery remaining was how the Ringleader had been able to get him trapped here... and how could he get out of there?

"Oh, so am I," the Ringmaster's deep voice snickered, "To see how full of yourself you are after all."

With that, the bird's surroundings began to light up slowly, the withdrawing darkness revealing dozens after dozens of the royal's reflections. Exactly what he expected... but it was next to impossible to deny that the armed avian felt a bit confused as he put off the reflector which had worked as his light till that moment.

"All in all, it is all about you, isn't it?" suddenly the Ringleader's mocking voice seemed to come right from behind the officer, causing the avian to turn swiftly around out of reflex. After the turn, another reflex kicked in, making the bird jump a bit backwards as he was suddenly facing his captor - or at least a reflection of him on the mirror. A small, crooked smile made its way on the Ringmaster's dark lips as he raised his top hat a bit with his other hand as a greeting.

"About time for you to show up", Falco remarked as he straightened up and raised his beak in a cocky manner, eyeing the reflection of the red-clad man with suspicion. Oddly enough, unlike the Falco's, the Ringmaster's reflection didn't seem to copy itself to every surrounding mirror.  
"It would be unprofessional to start a show without a proper opening", the red-clad master of the Circo de la Luna simply answered, though there was a lurking tone of malevolence in his words. The Constable settled for a faint scowl, subconsciously moving his feathers on which he wore many decorative rings. Meanwhile the Ringleader's smile had turned into a grin, a sinister amusement following his words as he stated: "Tonight: we will really see what makes you, Falco Lombardi, tick and what you really value. Yes, I'd like to welcome you to the egocentric world; I hope you enjoy your stay."

Without leaving the blue bird time to react, the reflection of the blue haired ringmaster disappeared from the mirror, leaving the constable alone with his thousands reflections.

For a while, the grey-jacket clad bird simply did nothing, only stared at the endless sea of his reflections, who simply more or less stared back at him. He didn't mind mentioning he did look good, even if he had been dragged to a place he didn't actually even want to know better. The jacket, even if it had gotten a bit dirty and wrinkled from here and there, sit well and his grin was as well-looking as ever. Feeling a self-confidence build up within him, the avian grinned a bit wider. As if the Ringmaster could do anything to harm him. It wouldn't be that hard to get out from a shiny excuse of a maze like that - only a few little blasts with his blaster, and-

Suddenly his stream of thoughts was cut as the reflections around him suddenly became something more than just mere reflections; they moved, they were alive - they even made noises. Screamed, whimpered and gasped as every each one of them was tortured, abused and killed in a different, brutal way, agony plastered on their faces as they died and disappeared only to be replaced by a new reflection, which was to suffer the same fate. Gagging as he did so, Falco gasped for air a few times. Turning his gaze away from the reflections was no help - he was surrounded by them, after all - so he settled for covering his eyes with his hands for a while.

After recovering from the first shock and calming himself down, the Officer lowered his hands again, grimacing as he felt a sickening taste raise in his mouth as he gazed around again.

"Sick", he whispered to himself, shook his head and breathed in deeply, rebuilding his momentarily shaken self-confidence. As his reflections surrounding him continued their never-ending, gruesome show, the Chief Constable concentrated on setting some of his explosives up. He really wanted to get out of the place. As if it wasn't enough that he had to watch himself being mauled to death over and over again, the pained voices the reflections made echoed between the mirrors - and they all were his noises as well. So, as soon as he had set the timer right, the Constable released it towards the mirror he thought had the most distance to him - he didn't want to suffer from the blast wave or the mirror shatters after all. What he wasn't expecting was the bomb's blast to bounce right back at him, emitting a stuffed scream as the energy burned right through his clothes and knocked him over.

Hitting the mirror-floor hard, the bird groaned and arched his back, feeling even more disgusted as the smell of burning flesh - his burning flesh - floated in air from his chest. While he was still panting on the floor, trying to calm down enough to heal the still sickeningly sizzling burn covering almost his whole chest, a red-clad image formed on the mirror beside him.  
"I'd be more careful if I were you", Ike's mockingly sweet words made Falco hiss, yet the sound was ignored by the tanned man, who continued just as lightly: "Don't you know the mirrors reflect everything?"

Ignoring the pain it caused to his chest, the royal shot back up, glaring daggers at the red-clad reflection in front of him as he began to work on his injury. The Ringleader merely chuckled at this, stepping from the mirror to the next one beside it.

"Besides reflecting your image.." the red-clad man began calmly, yet remarkingly as he passed the reflection of Falco's whose face seemed to be melting away, muffled screams raising from the reflection's throat as acid burned through his feathers and skin tissue. A disgusted grimace raised to Falco's face as he followed the Ringmaster's reflection with his eyes, trying his best to evade stopping to look at his own.

"They reflect your thoughts, your feelings, what you value..." the Ringleader continued, seeming to ignore that he stepped on the remaining of one of the reflection's brain, his low voice unfairly covering the death screams of another reflection, who was fast burning to ashes. Without completely realizing it himself, the Chief Constable began to follow the reflection of the red-clad man, walking almost beside him through the macabre-filled mirror corridors. His fingers twitched for using his weapons to blast the mockingly smiling master of this... nightmare away from his sight, but the still pulsating pain on the bird's chest held down the urge.

It was just when the Chief Constable saw something other familiar and red-clad from the corner of his eye when he took off his gaze from the Ringleader, a short and dry gasp passing his lips as he stopped in his tracks. Noticing this, the trickster slowed down his pace too, a crooked smile curling on his lips again as he followed Falco's gaze to one of the nearest mirrors.

"Your secrets...", it felt like the ghostly-spoken words were left to hang in the air as the avian stared blankly at the mirror in front of him. Back at him stared two pairs of eyes - ones of which belonged to his own reflection, whose gaze was filled with terror and pleading and ones filled with glee and joy, combined to a ever so happy smile that he had always treasured.

"Kat?" a shaking whisper passing his lips, Falco reached his hand forward to touch his dead wife, but it stopped in the mid-air as a heavy blow from an axe landed on his reflection's head with an unnaturally loud crunch. Yet, he couldn't turn his head away as the axe-wielding image of his feline bride gazed right back at the officer and giggled playfully, sending a flying kiss from the mirror just a moment before the image disappeared.

His mouth growing even drier, the avian shivered underneath his jacket, desperately trying to pull his shattered thoughts back together. He couldn't let his senses fall apart now, not just because of some gruesome picture plays. None of them were real - they were only images, only reflections on mirror.

"They aren't real", he repeated to himself in a commanding way, cursing how his voice shook because of his gasping breath.

"Are you sure about that?" the reflection of the Ringmaster snickered beside him, laying a dark, sly gaze on the shaken bird. For once, he didn't dare to raise his gaze to glare at the red-clad man. Even if he was tempted to, even if he really wanted to show he wasn't anxious, Falco couldn't bring himself to do it. In a way, he hesitated because it felt like that if he had risen his gaze, his beliefs might've been shaken again. Instead, he lowered his head and pressed his eyes shut, focusing to calm himself down just like he had done when he had woken up in this cursed labyrinth of mirrors.

It took a relatively long time of silence from Falco to get his thoughts sorted out again. The situation wasn't that bad - he had just been a bit surprised, that's all. If blasting didn't work, he'd just have to walk out of the place. Maybe not the most stylish way, but neither it was too hard - he wasn't so sure which direction to go to, but eventually he'd have to find out the exit. It wasn't like the place could go on to the infinity and beyond. The worst thing that could happen would be a rampaging headache tomorrow due to the endlessly ongoing stream of screaming.

Inhaling slowly and deeply, the Falco raised up his chin again, nodding determinedly to himself. "This is just a play", the bird snapped at the red-clad reflection, who just cocked his head on the side. Scowling at this, the Chief Constable turned around begin walking through the mirror corridor in a storming way, trying to keep his mind off the suffering reflections beside him.

"Don't think this is enough to-" the bird was about to mutter under his breath, but his voice was cut by an ear-ripping, high-pitched scream which pierced the air, silencing all the other voices and freezing the royal in his tracks.

"What? Frighten you?" the Ringleader's velvety voice questioned as another shriek raised into the air, sending shivers down the Falco's spine. Not that the screaming itself was so horrifying, he had been listening to it for a good while already after all, but this particular voice sounded so different. So... Young. "Oh, but I don't have to do that," chuckling, Ike's voice continued, yet this time his reflection wasn't anywhere close to be seen, "You do it very well yourself."

Even though the mocking words angered him, Falco could feel cold sweat rising on his skin as he listened the high-pitched screams which were coming from behind him. Somewhere inside his mind, there was a part which told him to ignore it, just to continue forward - but that would be an act of cowardice, wouldn't it? It would be ridiculous. He wasn't afraid - he couldn't be afraid - he was the enforcer of law in a world of terror.

Grasping onto that thought and ignoring the alarming bells in his mind, the bird turned swiftly around on his heels, glaring murderously at the source of the peculiar screaming - yet the look on his face died away at the very second he realized what he was looking at.

The reason to the peculiar tone of the shrieking voice was revealed - this reflection seemed to be him during his younger years. Tears glistering on his bruised eyes as the small, fragile body was abused in a horrifying way by someone who looked like-

Falco felt a violent, sickening tug on his insides, causing him to clutch his stomach and slam another feathered hand on his mouth to stop himself from throwing up.

No. NO.

Making a sick, gurgling sound, the Falco grasped the sides of his beak, forcing himself to turn away from the mirror, the high-pitched screams still ringing in his ears, piercing his mind. Still gagging, he tried to gasp some air to get the disgusting taste leave his mouth, his body shaking violently as he was almost bent in two.

"It's your fears the mirrors are reflecting", the Ringleader's smooth whisper sounded twisted and pleased as his reflection appeared on the mirror next to the bird again. Before Falco had a chance to straighten up and scowl at the red-clad man, yet another forceful gag twisted him in half again, almost managing to knock him over. Yet, he was able, even if just faintly, hear a mercilessly amused chuckle: "I'm not responsible of them - yet, at least."

Grasping his head almost violently, Falco's breathing grew more rapid as he compulsively tried to assure himself that the wetness he felt on his face was nothing but sweat. His knuckles were already beginning to turn white as his grip on his head tightened still, a large variation of emotions storming inside his mind, mixing to each other, eventually bursting out as an enraged scream: "FUCK YOU! I'm not afraid of him! I defeated him!"

"Don't be upset. Daddy always managed to install fear in people's hearts. You never defeated him... because..." a laugh. Before he got a hold of himself, the Constable clenched his hands into fists and tried to smash the grinning, red-clad reflection along with the mirror beside him, not really caring if the broken glass was to cut him. Yet, when the fist made contact with the reflecting surface, instead of breaking underneath the force, it gave away underneath it, sucking the royal in.

A surprised yelp turned into a shriek as a strong, stinging pain pierced the bird's side, ripping and burning his flesh, as if somebody had just stabbed him with a hot knife.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the law enforcer felt himself land hard back on the mirror floor. Gasping horrifiedly the feathered furry gazed around, noticing he was surrounded by the endless sea of mirrors again. Out of reflex one of his hands shot to the place he had been stabbed, but surprisingly, it found nothing. There wasn't even a scratch on his shirt.

Yet, he could have swore he tasted the strong, tangy taste of blood in his mouth, felt it dripping over his lips and staining the outfit around the wound - but regardless all this, his hand felt nothing like such and as he gazed down, he couldn't even see the assumed source of pain. He tried wiping the blood off his lips, then glancing at his hand - there wasn't even a faint shade of red on it.

"What the-", he whined in a raspy tone before coughing out what he think was blood in his mouth, but nothing landed on the floor before him.

Suddenly, just as quickly as it has stricken, the odd feeling vanished, leaving the royal laying on the mirror floor in confusion, panting heavily, cringing at the sight of his reflection.

"The most important thing is..." the Ringmaster's grim voice crept into the avian's consciousness again, "These mirrors reflect all the pain you've ever caused."  
Still in an aftershock from before, continuing to subconsciously handling his midriff, the royal couldn't find words to answer to the smug human. Settling for trying to stumble back on his feet, the Falco spotted the Ringmaster's reflection from one of the nearest mirrors with a smug grin on his muscled face.

"So", the black-hat wearing man stated matter-of-factly, though there was a creeping tone of malicious amusement in his words, "if I were you, I'd watch my step - you have a long journey ahead."

Stumbling backwards a bit and only barely avoiding falling into another agony-filled mirror, the Falco finally managed even somewhat form a scowl on his face.

"I'll get out", he hissed challengingly, even though it was possible to hear his voice shaking a bit. The announcement merely made the jacket-wearing man;s reflection's grin grew a bit wider.

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't - in fact, I don't even care", it was almost possible to hear a faint, playful tone in the Ringmaster's words, and it even continued when his voice darkened otherwise to the brink of malevolence: "But even if you did, don't think our discussion is over."  
Falco couldn't stop himself from jerking away a bit, yet he managed to maintain his murderous glare. Eyeing the Falco's expression for a while, the Ringleader chuckled lightly and took his top hat in his other hand, bowing in a polite way before he turned to leave: "Make it worth your while - as I said, it's all about you. You should be thrilled."

Laughing in a pleased manner as he disappeared from the mirror, the Ringleader left the red eyed bird alone in the middle of the mirrors, which still continued to display their gruesome visions, screams fulfilling the corridors and piercing the Constable's mind again.

He could see blue all around him. Blue, red, white, and yellow. They were everywhere, following his every little movement like robots but not at the same time. They had his image but they were showing weakness. His anger flared. No one had ever dared copy him before. No one had ever dared mock him.

He leaped at the nearest clone, his voice rising up in rage. Through his anger, he shattered the mirror and little pieces fell to the floor. But now they were shards, hundreds of them! He could see himself in THOSE as well...

"I'll get out!" Falco yelled as he looked at himself. The mirror should have made him bleed! Why was he still fresh? He tried to ram a new reflection, but this time he fell into his reflection's place like before.

Gurgling, bubbling and screaming. He was drowning and water filled his lungs... he needed oxygen... and then again, as quick as he entered, he was thrown out of the mirror.

"I'll get out", he whispered to himself, trying to get his legs on the move but his body seemed to protest against it. What if he was to fell into a mirror again? What if the floor sucked him up?

Where was he even supposed to go?

What if there even wasn't a way out?

Raising his hand on his ears and pressing his eyes shut, Falco crouched down. He couldn't think in this horrendous, screeching ruckus.

There were too much noises, too many reflections.

There was too much him.

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"What did you do to him?" The ringmaster turned around to see his strongman, peering in at the entrance of his caravan at the drooling officer on the ground. His eyes were blank and reflected no light while his face was permanently sketched in horror. Pit nudged the bird with his toe, only to get the bird's motionless body to get a bruise. No reaction, no nothing.

"I made a prison inside his own mind. It's his personal fantasy. I found out that all he cared about was himself." Ike moved over and began scribbling something on a sticky note as the angel-looking teen examined the seventy year old.

"So its all in his head?"

"That's right. Mental torture baby. Figuring the old coot would die physically anyway, I decided to make pictures in his head. Scar him for the rest of his miserable life."

"What for?" The ringmaster gave a cold laugh and slapped the yellow note on to his body. He then turned to the strongman, a more softer look in his eyes then before. However, Pit still cringed at his voice.  
"Revenge... for all humans... and for Mrs. Mario. She always secretly wanted revenge for as long as I can remember. Perhaps now some of her sleeps can be peaceful... he's gone." Then another amused laugh as he looked at the bird, "hurry up and dispose of him and don't forget your gloves. Make sure the cops can find his body... we still have unfinished business with them."

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**Review!**

**... Do you think it's too early to introduce a new character?**


	13. Twoface

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own no one or nothing!**

**Short chapter... shut up.

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**The nights were always such an oddity to Roy. He was perfectly aware that he was afraid of the dark, but the moon in the sky and the light from the little candle on his mini-desk always gave him inspiration to write. He loved to write. It was one of the few "normal" things his father had taught him when he was very small.

Biting his blunt pencil, he looked out to his window to see an-oh-so familiar caravan, where he gave the faintest of smiles. He wondered what the owner was doing before he returned back to his secret literary work: reviewing its mistakes.

_You brightened my heart._  
_You make me feel secure when you wrap your warm arms around me_

_Just being with you feels like I can defy the whole world. Like I can stand against it, instead of burning it._  
_You mean the world to me..._

"Whatcha got there, Roy?"

"GAH!" the red headed pyro screamed as he fell back in his chair, papers flying everywhere. The fire-breather desperately made a grab for all his papers, before Pit could see them or they landed in the candle's flame he was working by, only to lose the one he was working on to his brunette brother. "Don't sneak up on me like that... HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" The strongman stuck his tongue out and skimmed the paper, ignoring Roy's protests.

"... You are the morning sun, the very first spark in my day..."

"Pit!"

"You are so precious to this flame... more then you will ever know."

"Bro... stop! That's private!"

"Everything I ever wanted, everything I needed."

"Please stop! I really don't want that read! Please..."

"Okay! Okay! Fine. I was just twisting your coil. I wouldn't have read it all anyway. By the way, you can write in calligraphy? I wouldn't expect that from you... hell, the whole concept of you writing is unexpected." the red head shrugged and took the well written letter away from his friend and stored it in the tiny drawer. When he turned back to see his self-acclaimed brother, he saw a sly, smirking face. "Why are you in my caravan anyway? How did you get in here?"

"Door was open and I got bored. Sheik wanted to use me as a target again but right now, I have no desire to have knives in my skull. I'm not sure, but I think she might be mucking around with Samus now... no doubt trying to get catnip in Link's food again..." both teens snickered.

"You think Shiny will ever catch them?"

"When has he ever not? The girls don't learn. Hah..." again, the best friends laughed. It had been a while since they last caught up like this.

"So, what do you want to do?" Pit poked Roy's bare shoulder and the pyro gulped. He had a dastardly, cheeky (not perverted, thank the heavens) look on the brunette's face. "Uhh... Pit? Hello?"

"I want to talk to you. So... who's your secret one true love and when are you asking them out?" Roy turned the brightest shade of scarlet before he shoved his friend away. "Come on! You can tell me anything!"

"No way! Geeze! Certain people will murder me or tease me!" Pit stared at Roy.

"Since when did you care about what other people think?" Roy hesitated before he sighed. Damn. He knew about him too well, "I mean... Roy, you obviously have it bad for... it's a circus member, right?"

"Yes."

"Yeah... you have it bad for this person so why don't you tell them? You can run through a whole war zone of furries with only a match to defend you with. Why can't you say 'Hi! I love you!' or whatever to whoever?"

"Pit... I'm not as brave or... outgoing as you are. I can't charm everyone I mean and get them into bed two seconds later. I'm a joker, the awkward zombie... I'm scared that my heart will be broken and my feelings rejected."

"... who is it Roy? Can you tell-"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Nana screeched from outside. Both boys turned to the window and opened it, trying to look and see what was happening before running to the door and following the screaming.

* * *

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER! EVERYONE GET OUT HERE NOW!"

It should have been much easier getting there; but the crew was clever and sly. Regardless, by the blood that the being possessed, it was able to track its target. The figure stared at the crimson tent with icy blue eyes. It surely wasn't anything compared to its old wonderful home and it wouldn't even stand to live in a place made-up from nothing but canvas. Though, compared to the trash pile it'd been living in lately, even the big top looked somewhat tempting. But only somewhat, and there would have been no way the black-robed figure would step into the tent willingly if it hadn't been necessary to complete her revenge.

A small half grin appeared to the figure's face as it begun to creep towards the big tent. Oh yes, it'd get its revenge on the knife thrower. At first, it'd play around with them a little and after it got bored with the torture, it'd just flick her wrists and set her on fire and throw the charred body somewhere to rot and be eaten by maggots and fleshworms.

The brunette sighed and began sneaking, avoiding the lights from the main tent set up and towards the backstage area where the crew's caravans and campfire were. It could hear avid talking from some of the caravans but it couldn't hear its target's. Occasionally, the dark shrouded figure peaked through the windows. Lots of humans enjoying themselves and their joy made it happy... although it did feel a bit queasy when it saw two people making out on the wall... the male having his hand creep up her... the figure shivered. While there were humans here... there were so many disgusting creatures here. It could see that clearly. Sure they were humans as well... but some were so revolting and disfigured that they weren't even to be considered as homosapiens anymore. However, this disgusted feeling was ignored as the figure continued its search.

"I have the right place," came the delicate mutter, so low that most humans couldn't see it, "where are you?" The night was comforting. It shielded the person from most of the others' eyes: but it was still cautious. The flicker of the wind, the slightest movement could reveal their position. It was cautious beyond belief. It was very sure no one will know it was here. The job would be quick and easy. Just a simple killing curse and revenge would be so sweetly delivered after fifteen years of long searching. It was so close. It had to do the gruesome job before its excitement interfered with its mission.

Then, it heard low growling. The figure span around to see a new figure, crouched on all fours with luminescent golden eyes and pointed teeth, white enough that the infiltrator could see them faintly in the dark.

"Who are you?" the figure asked. The creature inhaled the air and growled again.

"Female you are. Name Link. You leave or die!" the figure openly showed her disgust, even if the creature had night vision. It was one of the freaks at this circus. Lion Link. She knew enough about him to be revolted at his presence. What sick human ate Furries?

"I'm not going anywhere."

The beast roared and Link sprung against the figure. Then it was on. It was dark, it was cold but the battle was heated. Mainly from her fireball hexes she threw at the creature. Link dodged all of them with ease, which frustrated her. At least she managed to dodge his moves, although there were many instances she had to encase her body in crystal in order to prevent any lethal damage. It was all very quick, seeing as the battle barely lasted two minutes, but the figure would have sworn the duel with the beast was two hours. She would have made it to two hours if not for so many lights, suddenly flashing on them.

"Hold it. Link... heel..." the now illuminated blonde hissed at the figure and retreated back to his master. The blue haired man stared at woman and glared at her. The figure felt herself shrinking back into her hood, away from the intimidating gaze of the ringmaster.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" the two headed horror screeched as it appeared.

"Master! May we take care of her?" the male head muttered. Just looking at the two siblings made her sick...

"No you may not," he addressed the figure, "My name is Ike Greil... and since I was so kind to share my name, what's yours?" he asked in his smooth, yet fearsome voice.

"Master, there's no need for introductions. I can tell who that is." The figure stiffened as someone from behind pulled down her hood of her black cloak. The wretched half of her face could be seen and she tried to hide it but it was too late. Everyone could see it. True to Two-Face style, her left (their right) side of her face was severely wrinkled and hideously burnt. Angry red and swelling while at the same time, exposing some of of her high cheek bones and making one of her eyes swell. She knew that she must of looked like she was hideously deformed, even though her right side of her face was far more beautiful then any of the women here, but she didn't care. Usually, the vain woman would, but she glared as she turned and saw her target standing behind her. The target's voice was wavering between calm and angry but her face was clearly infuriated when the figure locked eyes with her.

"Hello Sheik, how are you little sister?" she snarled. Her sister spat.

"Hello Zelda. No pleasure to see you're still alive." And then they struck.

* * *

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**Review!  
**


	14. Hunters and Haters

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own no one or nothing!**

**Yay! A geniunely good chapter with substance and plot progression.**

**RI: This thing has a plot?**

**Me: SHUT UP IKE!

* * *

**

"She. Is. Not! NO WAY IN HELL CAN SHE STAY HERE!" The ringmaster rolled his eyes as he watched the blonde-haired psychopath walk back and forth in his caravan, "Master! She tried to KILL ME! She called Link disgusting! She looks hideous! How can you even stop and consider putting her in the circus? You're more fucking mad then I thought!"

The ringmaster looked at Sheik's sister, now currently bound by silk and lying face side on the floor, showing her hideous, muscle-revealing side. Samus was crouched over her, one of Sheik's favourite knives in her hands, ready to strike if necessary. But underneath her hideous side-profile appearance, the ringmaster knew what he was looking at; a woman with a lust for revenge and a spark of power.

"She's unreasonable and selfish! Proud and rude! Are you even listening you cock-face two-timing demon?" The bluenette shot a warning gaze back at her and instantly Sheik shrank back. Samus let out a laugh while the Circus Leader managed to catch a look of astonishment from Zelda. He snickered. Probably never seen Sheik be silenced before.

"Well then..." he stood up and nodded his head. The acrobat used her silk to pull Zelda's neck up, so she was staring straight at the man, on her knees, "Zelda... Zelda Harikan, sister of Sheik Harikan aged 24. You are new to the homelessness aren't you?"

"... How did you know?"

"Well... your clothes for one thing. White dress on the streets... not the best outfit to run around in; especially in sandals. Your hairstyle is another thing. I could go on for hours on how I know so much about you by just looking at you... but why say things you already know when we can get on with the show?" Zelda's left eye rolled wildly while the right eye looked like she was glaring. The red-clad man snickered again. He was in an awfully good mood.

"Why would you want me here? What's stopping me from leaving here and helping the furries arrest all of you now?" Zelda shivered as Ike touched her face and traced her burnt skin with his fingers.

"Why? You interest me." Sheik began to yell but Ike raised his hand and she was silent. "You are gorgeous... in your own way and you have great skill in magic. Your power is very controlled... too controlled for my liking but that can be remedied. I've been looking for a new act for our little circus of the moon."

"So you just want to have a little more fun? For this circus... at the risk of my life. Fuck you ringmaster!"

"There will be plenty of time for that later Sheik... but you, Zelda, you asked me 'What was stopping you for ratting on us?" the brunette tried to lash suddenly at the ringmaster, but the silent acrobat giggled and pulled the silk around her neck even tighter, "I won't kill you. I don't kill humans... but... what can you tell me about me?"

Zelda could have said nothing, but the combination of the soul-silencing voice of the ringmaster and the steadily tightening material around her neck had loosened her tongue. Her mind was wrapped around the master's pinky. No magic was used, yet she was compelled to fulfill any desire that the bluenette asked of her.

"Not much..." he moved closer to her, eyes dancing in the candle light "only that you are to be feared. You don't have any records or files to your name before you lead this circus... and that's only criminal records."

"And anything **you** know about me? Don't be shy girl. I don't bite," he was taunting her... dangerously and threateningly. Yet... with a sense of light playfulness as well. Not happy playfulness: the type where a kitten just watches a mouse try to run when its tail is caught in the cat's paws.

"A monster that takes people for his own sick amusement..." she finally said, "you like torturing their heads for your own amusement."

"A monster? Not the worst insult I heard," Sheik almost seemed to blush as Ike took a glance at her. He cupped Zelda's chin in his hand and forced her blue eyes to meet his almost black ones. "I am just a man that enjoys his psychology. I love the construction of the mind... and I know exactly how it works. I know how to find your most vulnerable spot... and how to exploit it. I'll rip your sanity and intelligence away piece by piece. I DARE you to try betray us... I want to play a game and hunt you down." His words were simple, but the way his tongue dragged the words out, and the glacier-creating tone he used... it horrified Zelda beyond means. Both the burnt and the beautiful sides of her face were sketched in horror as RI brought himself away from her and grinned at the other two women in the room.

"She can bunk in my room Master," the acrobat spoke up, "if she's willing to stay that is." The blonde looked at her captive and gave a tiny smirk. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Zelda finally gave a defeated sigh.

"I will stay... and not tell of your location."

"Swear it?"

"I do." She was shaking violently. Her nervousness amused him so much.

"Seems fine with me. Let her go Samus and let her get comfy in her new room. Then come back to me afterwards so we can sort out her performances for the show." Sheik gawked.

"That's it? You're just telling her she can join? You're just taking her word for it?"

"Why not?"

"Go to hell, you overgrown pig-headed lunk! Do you want me to suffer at the hands of that bitch? I hate her! She's not even my sister! She is a hell hound. Both of you can just crawl into some little black hole and wait until you're dead! I don't give a fuck as long as I don't have to see either of you!"

"We better get out of here before Sheik breaks something... on our heads. You'll be in the caravan with the circle and lightning bolt on its door," Samus interrupted before the infuriated brunette could say anything. Zelda's long ears slightly twitched at the swearing Sheik was throwing at her and the ringmaster. "Get used to it. You'll hear a lot of dirty stuff here. The circus has as minimal morals as one can have."

The acrobat tried to assist the woman by taking her arm and helping Zelda off the floor; but the brunette snatched her arm away from the acrobat. She stared at Samus' tight blue shorts and her cleavage-filled, skimpy bra.

"I don't need help from dirty whores like you," she muttered as she walked out of the room. The blonde frowned but gave a shrug and followed after.

* * *

"So what can you do?" It was early morning and Zelda was now being uncomfortably smothered in a certain bouncing pyro's questions. She was somewhat thankful that she had a clean blue dress on (okay it was an altered sheet but it was better then her white rags) and a 'Phantom of the Opera' style, white mask on to hide her burnt face. She would have accepted these gifts and and breakfast without a word if it wasn't for a rather annoying red-haired teenager.

"Can you summon mystic demons?"

"No."

"Can you control the weather?"

"No."

"Can you escape from certain, impossible-to-avoid death?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Pull a rabbit out of your hat?"

"I don't have a hat."

"Then what kind of a magician are you?" Roy demanded, slamming his hands on the fold-out table (causing the food and plates to jump up), "are you a hypnotist? Did you use your mystic powers to confuse Shiny? ARE YOU CONFUSING US ALL NOW WITH YOUR WEIRD GYPSY MAGIC POWERS? IS YOUR BURNT FACE THE CONSEQUENCE OF YOUR EVIL CURSE ON ALL OF US?"

"Roy! Calm down, please! She's obviously very hungry. I'm surprised why she didn't ask for any supper when she arrived last night." The brunette concentrated on the meat in front of her, her face scrunched in distaste at the vile meal and the people surrounding her. Judging her. They had no right to look at her.

"Yes Mrs. M..." the pyro pouted, sitting down on the rickety fold out chair.

"He does bring up a good point though," Zelda tried to ignore the winged teenager next to the red-head, "What exactly can you do Zanna?"

"Zelda."

"Whatever." The both women at the table frowned his manners.

"Pit, be nice... you could ask Zelda nicely what you wanted to know. Remember, she may not be necessarily comfortable with sharing." Zelda cringed. That was exactly what she was thinking. However, defiantly, she shook her head and raised it so her ocean orbs could observe the others at the table.

The half-Lucario woman: nice but vile in appearance. The red-head: idiotic and needs a shirt. The strongman: creepy angel wings but even creepier was the way he looked at her. She didn't know where the others were but she didn't care. The less she interacted with these creatures, the better. She was above them... pure humanoid. She didn't want to let the diva know they had similar mindsets.

"I am a charmcaster. My magic powers lie in different spells and hexes. Unlike a witch, I can't use runes or potions but I make it up in other means."

"Oh?" asked the strongman, "like what?" Smirking at a chance to display her excellence, the scarred woman stood up from the coarse table and brought her thin hands together.

"Din's fire!"

While the angel and the Lucario woman were startled, the red-head's eyes lit up as soon as the first tongue was visible in the stranger's hands. All of them were speechless. Grinning in smug satisfaction, the woman let loose the fireball: forcing it to spin all around the three.

"You... are... awesome. FIRE POWERS! WOW! NO WONDER MASTER PUT YOU HERE!" Grinning at the praise, the conceited lady continued controlling the fireball, letting it hop around the table and circle around the winged-teen. "Your fire is so hot!" Rummaging through his denim pockets, the fire-breather of the circus brought out a miniature bottle of vodka and a match.

"Roy! No!" Too late. Zelda was concentrating on making the fireball dance. So when Roy sent searing hot flames at the brunette, she had no time to dodge. Thankfully, it didn't scar her face any further...

It just started burning the hem of her dress.

She screamed and her fire enchantment was dropped as she tried to douse the flames.  
"Drop and roll! Drop and Roll!" Peach yelled, standing up.

"Run and scream! Run and scream! Run and scream!"

"PIT! ROY!"

"Sorry Mrs. M..."

By this point, the Lucario-figure had already rushed to Zelda's aid and wrapped her in her thick black cloak. The flames died, smothered in the thick and heavy cloth and Zelda's screaming came to a final halt.

Pit wolf-whistled. The small fire had burnt up most of the dress, giving Zelda a few small burn marks and everyone else a look at her long, curvaceous legs. The woman blushed and tried to cover her exposed flesh.

"Whatz going... whoa." She whipped around to see the lion of the circus, oggling the best features of her body. Link instantly moved his eyes from her fully rounded legs and forced himself to look up at Zelda's face.

"Masterz... wants you in his caravanz so he can choozzzze circus constume..." he said, trying to articulate his words as best as he can.

"Let her stay in that!"

"Pit!"

Zelda gave a nod, and with an upturn of her nose as she passed the lion, she made her way to the ringmaster's caravan.

* * *

"Sir, we found Constable Falco. He was tied up against a lamppost in Onett." The brown furred creature whipped around and stared at the green Pokemon who'd just run in. The tiniest glint of confusion was eliminated and replaced with a near-indefinable expression in his eyes.

"Onett? How the hell did he get to Onett? We met him a few days ago in Corneia. Why the hell was he tied to a lamppost?" The Pokemon opened its mouth to speak but the furry kept talking, "You know what? Never mind. Bring him in."

"Errr... sir. Falco can't speak."

"And why not you insolent fool?"

"...sir, I'd think it would be best if you looked at him."

* * *

"You! I... I didn't expect to see you here."

_"Greetings Mister Prime Minister. Some officers called for my arrival. Constable Falco was an old colleague of mine and when I heard he disappeared... I was concerned. Although... seeing him now in this state isn't comforting either."_

"I see. You have extraordinary psychic abilities; can you break whatever he's under?"

_"I doubt it... I was reading his mind before you came. I had barely scratched the surface of his mind before I was thrown into a nightmarish realm."_

"So it's magic more powerful then you?"

_"It is not magical arts nor is it psychic abilities. Besides his barely functioning body, someone has been tampering with his mind to the point where we can't save him or return him back to normal. Pokemon or technological means. I find that any of our magic could possible kill him."_

"I know Falco. He was sharp and always prepared to go in action. No way was he attacked by some random thug..."

_"You'll be very pleased to know that its not 'some thug'. We know who did this."_

"How?" The Senator lifted its bulbous hand and moved the piece of paper telepathically. His furred companion looked at it, both taking care not to touch the note in case it had fingerprints or any little tool that could help them find the insane people who had done this.

**'Catch us if you can. We'll be free and you'll be dead.**  
**We're going to pick all of you off one by one.**  
**Then we're going for the final kill**

**-CDlL'**

_"It's that accursed band of humans. The Circo De la Luna; more particularly the arrogant ringmaster. The one they call Ike."_

"So what do we do now?"

_"We play their game and go after them."_

"We can't figure out where these people are going to strike next! Hundreds! Maybe even thousands of innocent anthromorphs and Pokemon- male, female or youngling- they're dying! We can't just sit and do nothing!"

_"I agree. But I know what you're thinking and we do not let **him** know. We simply deal with these minor inconveniences."_

"... that still doesn't answer my question." The purple figure let loose a low chuckle before turning away from the injured Falco and lead the Prime Minister towards a black door.

_"This is one of my... favourite trackers. Recently, he's been stationed in the North but having killed any sign of rebellion there; he's come down to help us with this problem. I'm surprised with why you didn't ask for him when even ten anthromorphs died."_

"How was I supposed to know they were all connected?" he muttered. The telepathic male chuckled again and the metal door slid open. The room inside was pitch-black, the only light coming from the room the two had just left.

The brown-coated leader jumped back; suddenly startled at a flying hook near his ear. Piercing eyes glinting dangerously at him from the darkness.

_"Fox. I want you to meet 'Kay One-Be'. He will find this... 'horrific' Circo De la Luna and kill them"_

* * *

**I think its obvious who Kay One-Be is. If you can't figure it out, then this is a shout out to my deleted story: My World My Rules. If you never read that before, then you'll be quite surprised who it is.**

**Check my deviantart account Pikana-Chuster for the official Circo de la Luna designs and characters. There are poems and everything to give ya a sneak peak at what's to come!  
**

**Review!**


	15. Filler: Children of Evil

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing! So that's SSB.**

**Like chapter four, I think it's time for a filler! *everyone attacks me with bricks* *I DESTROY THEM***

**Now read and guess who is who ^^!  
**

* * *

I am a child of Gula.  
Gluttony of others caused them to bash me on the street.  
They cut off my limbs.  
I did nothing wrong.  
They took my wallet and the groceries intended for grandmother  
I was left to die.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am a child of Fornicatio  
Lust of others caused me to be sexually abused for six years.  
I considered getting a sex change because that's all I thought I was good for.  
They sold me and I was experimented on.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am a child of Avaritia  
Greed of others caused my home to be destroyed.  
They wanted land at the cost.  
Of my mother murdered.  
My father imprisoned.  
My girlfriend raped.  
I was sent on the run; feeling nothing but emptiness.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am a child of Invidia  
Envy of my sister caused me to go mad.  
She knew I was disabled but she taunted me.  
I wanted to be like her.  
She didn't.  
I was left to go mad alone in shame.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am a child of Socordia  
Sloth of my family caused them to die  
They took me away when I was small.  
Taken away to a white ward.  
I knew if I had woken up faster, my parents would be alive.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

We are children of Acedia  
Neglect of others caused us to turn to each other for support.  
We did things we shouldn't have when we were alone.  
People persecuted us for this.  
They neglected to see our love.  
They stoned us.  
We were reborn as a monster.  
We are evil.

I am a child of Superbia  
Pride of others caused them to murder.  
They took my child away from me.  
Only because I stood up for myself.  
Dead before it could live.  
I almost died if not for my partner's intervention.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am a child of Ira  
Wrath of others caused me to lose everyone.  
My face and mind were scarred.  
Everyone I loved, gone.  
By my own hands.  
No matter how hard I asked for forgiveness, the answer was the same.  
I was reborn as a monster.  
I am evil.

I am the carer of the children.  
I am not the devil or a jailer nor father.  
I am a man who takes care of these broken souls.  
We all have a story to tell; so please listen and look past our sin.  
Are we really monsters?  
Are we evil?

* * *

**Review!**

**A real chapter will be up when tests are over. BTW, I stole this out of Fire Breather Roy's Journal! No effort on my part :D**


	16. Dressed up books

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own no one or nothing!**

**... Its not filler but it's half not plot.**

**WARNING: Sexy scenes ahoy!  
**

* * *

"Strip."

"Excuse me?"

"Everything. I want you to strip now. Your sheet, your shoes and underwear. Everything." Zelda's ocean eyes bored harshly into the ringmaster as she slammed the door behind her. Who did he think he was?

Her good eye darted about the room while her crippled one just ogled randomly. From what she had heard, the ringmaster was a man of refinery and superiority. So why was his living quarters as bad, if not worse, then the acrobat's? The only things she could see were a small bed, a small desk and chair, and a large chest. (the furniture kind, not the other one, perverts) The only thing that looked remotely of value was a large mirror, framed with various jewels and shimmering multiple colours.

"Are you deaf? Strip. Now."

"If you think, for a second, that I'm going to sleep with you then..."

"My dear, if I wanted your body I would have just asked for it," he had the audacity to laugh at the brunette, "All I want is to measure you. So take it off for me." Zelda glared at the man again before meeting the morbid sparkle his eyes contained. Giving a defeated sigh, she grabbed the sheet she wore and removed the make-shift. His tone was clear. She had no choice.

The caravan was warm, but she still felt a slight chill as the bluenette came up to her and grabbed her hand. Without another word, he pulled her closer to him and wrenched her arms out.

"Ow! You could have asked me to come!"

"My dear," if she felt chilly before, she now was freezing, "where is the fun in that?" without another words, his now ungloved hands stroked down her exposed arms before unhooking her bra neatly and causing the supportive underwear to drop. Zelda held her breathe as the ringmaster reached into his pocket. She heard the sickening snap from behind her and immediately shut her right eye, resenting the fact that her left one remained grotesquely open.

The brunette bit her lip as her new... 'master' measured her small bust, cringing as his fingers managed to get into every indentation of her. She was disgusted at how he subtly violated her sacred treasure. She couldn't see his face but, if rumors of the appalling ringmaster were true, she could imagine his soulless, greedy eyes enjoying the view.

"Titch. I've seen better." Zelda felt like using a fireball and searing the flesh off his bones. She couldn't do anything as the master had already span his measure around her neck, forcing the woman to look straight ahead into the beautiful mirror.

The ringmaster was a man of fine yet odd tastes: black painted walls but windows of complimenting fake gold overhanging a frequently used, sticky bed; a grey and white rug but almost a shrine of a kill on the floor. The caravan of the ringmaster was one of such dread that the mirror seemed as if it had just appeared there. It was too out of place in the room. It was gorgeous in every way.

As an adept magic user, Zelda could tell the glass was enchanted. While a historian: she couldn't even place a date on what she was looking at. The runes lacing the circular frame seemed to be as ancient as time and the multiple, precious stones on the mirror shimmered with older magic then she could place.  
She wanted a moment to stare at it and examine the radiating aura but she was... distracted to say the least.

Mirrors reflected everything. She could see every curve that he ran his fingers over. How nervous and pale she looked, unclothed. He was enjoying her embarrassment for sure.

Fortunately, the ringmaster took the tape measure and measured the woman's height, waist and arm span with no 'funny business', allowing the proud woman to slip back underneath a smooth, indifferent mask. She knew that she was the perfect height and weight for a Hylian her age.

Surprisingly, Ike seemingly had no interest in the naked woman in front of him. He was focused, while still slipping some dirty little 'accidental touches', and made some of the most accurate numbers Zelda had ever seen. Besides the uncomfortable silence, and the contrast of heat on the outside and chills on the inside, everything seemed to flow smoothly.

Until... it was time to measure her legs.

For most part, the icy man was silent the whole time he had been caressing her body; but even he was forced to raise an eyebrow and give a whistle as he felt the smooth legs of the magician. They weren't fat neither bony. They were full and pleasurable to touch, soft as a marshmallow yet easy to skim like polished marble ball.

At the touch of foreign fingers on the most sensual part of her body, Zelda erupted in a very unrefined moan. She shivered and was ready to scream and beg for him to stop it.

The ringmaster chuckled as he jotted down the final measurement and stood up from his crouching position- dragging his fingers across her inner thighs. The brunette pushed the red-clad man away, trembling from the sensations she was feeling.

That was- so lustful. Disgusting. Yet how was the ringmaster able to look at her so calmly: was molesting his crew members so common? Secretly, the magician was hating herself for even showing her emotions to such a vulgar man; let alone her body.

"May I go now Master Ike?" she didn't even mean to let the title slip through her teeth. The muscular leader laughed and nodded. The pointy-eared woman dropped to her knees and picked up her sheet. Ike looked boredly at the beautiful mirror before grinning deviously at the half clothed magician.

"You amuse me Zelda. Of course you may. Nana will have your costume delivered to the door as soon as possible."

"Nana?"

"The female of the two-headed half-human you so love," he drawled sarcastically. At first, she was going to get out of the creepy room as fast as she could: but she instead faced the man seated in an unnoticed leather chair.

"If this Nana, was going to make my costume, then why was I measured by you?" the ringmaster winked at her.

"Because, I wanted to get to know you a little bit more. You talk a lot more then you realise Miss Harikan."

Zelda avoided his stare and opened the caravan's single door.

"Oh, and Zelda?" the brunette turned her head back, "you're just as disgusting as we are."

"I didn't say that out-"

The door was slammed in her face.

* * *

The door creaked open slightly as the devilish angel playfully peaked in. Samus was sitting silently on her tiny blue bedspread, completely absorbed by the open book on her lap. The strongman smiled and snuck in, trying not to disturb the acrobat. However, his plan was foiled as the door shut with a loud click.

"Eh? Pit?" the blonde set her book down beside her. "Why aren't you outside with everyone else? I thought you all wanted to talk about Zelda."

The brunette grinned wider and crawled next to the curvaceous woman. He rested his head on her shoulder and twirled a long lock of her hair.

"Because I got bored," he mused, pecking the witch on the cheek, "and I'd thought you'd wanna ride my horse." Samus rolled her bright blue eyes and picked up her thick novel once more. It mildly surprised the winged teenager that she could read. He never saw Samus as the bookish type... and he had no idea when she could have learnt to read. Didn't she live in the human containment ward since she was five? Or was it seven?

"Not now; and I'm not talking about Zelda. She called the colour of my room 'baby-puke'... it's sunshine yellow!"

"You're still reading that Hylian novel of yours?" he asked, skimming over the words.

"Italian..." was the distracted response.

"Will you read it out loud for me?"

She blinked and gave the white-clad male a confused look, cocking her head to the side.

"You understand Italian?"

The bright blue eyes of the strongman had a certain excitement hidden in them as he rested and snuggled deeper into the acrobat's slender shoulder.

"I don't, but I love the way you speak it," he spoke dreamily, wrapping his arms possessively around the beautiful hourglass figure, "you sound so damn sexy."

Samus sighed and nodded her head, a bit of humor lingered on her lips. She pushed the no-doubt-probably-horny angel off her who immediately lay down next to her, wings gently rested around them. He looked up to her, his boyish eyes boring into her mind.

"Alright, but don't interrupt me, I'm actually trying to finish it," Pit grinned, "And no funny business."

The angel nodded and silently listened as the words flowed from the acrobats lips, rolling over each syllable with musical grace while the sharper sounds she executed with such gentle force. Pit had no idea what the story was, as he was totally distracted by the sound of the sexy woman's voice.

"...e poi così afferrò il culo sexy e lui la baciò avidamente."

So distracted in fact, that he didn't notice himself inching closer to the woman until he had already claimed her lips and pushed her deep into the sheets with passion, hand on her back and reaching for her full ass. To say, Samus was startled, was an understatement as she squeaked from beneath the weight of the strongman.

"Pit!" she shouted after using her amazing body to slip underneath the winged-teen away. "What are you doing!"

"It just sounds so amazing!" he whined defensively, something that he had learnt off Roy. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I promise. Please continue."

She just glared skeptically at the clearly guilty teenager.

"I love you," Pit added innocently, trying a last ditch effort to get her voice going again, sending the acrobat a toothy smile.

"...I know what you're doing..." she sighed, unable to resist the persuasive, wide grin.

She began to read aloud once again, the Italian syllables still as colorful and fluid as before. For the second time as she wrapped her words around his head, Pit found himself lost in the woman's words, but this time, when he inched forward, he was fully aware of himself and had a mission in mind.

"Sussurrò in un orecchio, 'Facciamo l'odio dolce insieme. Solo io e te. Per tutta la notte...'"

The devil in an angel's disguise placed a palm on the pages and lowered the book gently so it rested on the small thighs of the acrobat. Samus, completely naive to the strongman's motives, growled through her teeth.

"You said 'No funny bus-"

"Say my name," he interrupted in a husky, seductive voice. The blonde widened her expressive orbs.

"What?"

"My last name. Icarus. Say it with that sexy 'carrr' sound. Say my name."

The woman knew she should've been mad, she should've been annoyed with the angel's usual promiscuous behavior, but somehow, she seemed drawn in. She did usually actually, but the fact that today she made a resolve to finish her European book and not get distracted should have prevented her from his charms.

"Say my name Sammy," he repeated once more, pinning the curvaceous figure beneath him. "Say my name,"

Her mind was getting fuzzy and she couldn't concentrate.

"N-no, honey..." Samus stuttered. She was about to say something else, beg him to get the hell off and leave her in peace, but she was silenced by the passionate lips crashing down on her own. The flavour of rich dark chocolate skimming the surface.

"Say it, baby." The mischievous angel breathed against the taller woman's mouth. "You're fighting a losing battle."

"B-but..." Samus was pushing everything she had to resist her fuck buddy's erotic charm, but those lips just felt so hot and oh so good. Like hot chocolate. To make matters worse, the cunning strongman took hold of her angular chin again and began to suck on her bottom lip, weakening her already crumbling resolve.

Using her last resort, the saucy acrobat tried to use the hand that wasn't clutching the Italian book in a death grip to push the heated male away. But her attempt was overcome by the shorter plunging his tongue in the wetness of her mouth, claiming every nook and cranny for his own.

Like Dorothy's house was lifted up by a raging tornado, Samus' emotions went soaring, releasing the moans that were pushing so anxiously to get out. Strongman Pit was very satisfied with this result and lifted his head just enough to break the kiss.

"Say my name," he asked one last time.

This time, the blonde didn't hesitate or question his request. She wrapped her slender arms around the younger's neck and pulled him closer, trailing kisses across his jaw.

"Icccaarrross..." she breathed greedily against his sweating flesh. "Pit Icccarrrrooss..."

"Now next time, do we have to fight? Resistance is futile. You talk, we just fuck and be done with it: sounds good?" Pit smirked. Samus said nothing. All she did was unhook the handle of her bra.

The book was dropped and the novel was lost. The pages were forgotten within the new plot line the circus partners were creating. The plot line that was slowly but surely making it's way to the climax.

* * *

**The point of this chapter? Identification. You get a lot of Zelda and how RI views her *kind of* and you know that Samus can speak Italian. AKA: its showing that not yet but eventually her backstory will come.  
**

**Review!**


	17. Sibling Rivalry

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own no one or nothing!**

**... What the hell... it looks like we're getting somewhere.**

* * *

The first thing that Nana did not like to wake up to in the morning was the sound of constant whining. She couldn't tell who was screaming and fighting outside; nor did she care... as the second thing Nana didn't like to wake up to was there.

Her brother was awake. She hated when her husband was up first because that meant he wasn't getting the rest he so properly deserved. As a heavy sleeper, Popo always suffered and to see him so tired worried Nana to pieces.

"Dearest, my love, what has thou been doing at the earliest hour?" the female head muttered as she rubbed her eyes, "should not you be resting?" the male head turned to her, and pecked a kiss on her nose.

"I apologise my sweet sister. I was just finishing the final details on Miss Zelda's costume when I had inspiration to fix the boss' new outfit. I know how cruelly your mind refrained you from completing both works, so I decided to finish the task for you. I fear that my stitching does not deserve to be on the same material as your gorgeous embroidering." Nana smiled and kissed her other head again before her thin, yet coarse, hand picked up the costumes in complete synch with Popo's hand.

"Do not despair my beloved. The result is of stunning brilliance. You should be proud of your work, for I am," she said as she gave a golden smile, "we shall call on both the ringmaster and the magician to wear our works."

"That magician has been in our grounds for a few days now," the male head yawned, "what doth you think of her my ice beauty?" Nana giggled.

"Your flattery never seems to fail to make me blush brother," Nana whispered, "but for what do I think of the magician? I find her an interesting specimen. Would not she be a fun one to test the elaborate joys of our games?" To see one young-looking girl look so sadistic would have frightened even the most mighty of warriors. However to her lover and brother, he couldn't have felt happier seeing the radiant smile of his love.

"She will be. Such an arrogant and refined woman. I think she makes a point to irritate her sister; just to know that she can't be killed as a member of our establishment."

"Her burns are so pretty? Do not you think Popo?"

"In its own way. No scar, no burn could be more appealing then you." He leaned in for a slow kiss. Nana was only too eager to return it... but stopped by the racket outside of the door that had first woken her up.

"Good grief! Are not they pitiful? Arguing at this early hour already," she huffed. Popo gave a second yawn and rested on his lover's neck as she walked to the door and practically ripped it open.

Like she expected. Two sisters bickering. Well, it was more like how the ringmaster fought with Sheik... Zelda was just sitting there on a log calmly, sipping her tea with the most prideful smirk plastered on her features. Meanwhile, her sister had three daggers out, ready to tear her sibling to shreds.

Her cursing was in a tongue foreign to the twins, but they assumed it was Hylian. Zelda's only response that acknowledged her sister's presence was the twisted half smile and the slightest repulsed twitch of her eyebrow. It must have been some hellish hour in the morning. It was her third night and the brunette woman was accustomed to at least eight hours of rest to be sufficient for the day. Not a minute less.

Much like everyone else, except maybe spazz happy Roy and sweet Peach, neither of the Harikan sisters were morning people.

"Come on Sheiky! It was fun the first half and hour... but now it's just lame. Let's go do something fun..." Samus was not too far away. She was reading an old engineering magazine as she hung upside down from one of the caravan roofs. The other circus members originally came out to see a cat fight... and were severely disappointed.

"Yeah Sheik, give it a break already," Pit mumbled as he continued playing 'Black Jack' with Roy. It wasn't unusual to not see Peach this early in the morning. She was meditating. Link was probably somewhere in a tree or under the caravan and the ringmaster was where he wanted to be. But there was someone else missing...

"Never! Never in a million years! Never, ever, ever..."

"Sheik. My caravan... now. Zelda. The Ice Jester wants to tell you that your costume is finished." Ah, there he was. As if he just appeared behind Zelda. The brunette jumped at least ten centimeters off the log before eyeballing the dark-blue haired man behind her. "It'd be a shame if you didn't try it... just as it'd be a shame if you ran away." She could hear a threat when she heard one.

"Oh yes!" Nana snipped, snapping back into action. "Your costume is ever so beautiful. Come try! Come try!" Her voice was unusually haunting, but never the less, Zelda obeyed and moved towards the caravan shivering.

She hoped the twisted two-headed demon made something suitable for the crisp, icy air.

* * *

"This is my case master. I don't need your help." The smaller shook his head and jumped to the metal railing behind his student, obviously disgruntled by his sudden appearance. The roundish-figure gave a grunt in response before swooping down and observing the precious pieces of evidence.

"...Poor creature. By the quills, it's obvious this was once a hedgehog. Taken by surprise as seen by its mauled legs..." The student scoffed as its master continued to circle the creature. "I know master. I already know this..."

"Then you may have noticed that this attack was done by a human hybrid by what teeth marks are around the wounds. You'll notice that this was from a proud male creature because it took the hedgehog's right hand. You would have noticed the trail of blood coming from it. It's not some common-place Neko... perhaps a mutated human but definitely not a furry of any species." The larger student was silent, bowing its head almost shamefully before meeting the intense gaze of the tiny blue-eyed master.

"I am sorry... I did not know..."

"Of course you didn't Luka; these humans aren't like the others. Do you know what they do Luka?"

"I have read the reports master... and I shuddered every second," usually, this would have been a moment to withhold its tongue, like how the master always taught, but today was completely different. The wavering glint in his eyes from the pale moonlight was prompt. He wanted its opinion for once, "well... they're not some punk kids or some unintelligent rebellion. The Circo de La Luna is a terrorist group. Bombing homes of innocent creatures, taking away our maids and butlers, stealing important information that our Minister doesn't even know..."

"Come now... I taught you far more honesty then that. Tell me what you really know. You shouldn't be afraid of say the facts." It was astounding how such a small creature could contain such authority and power over the creature nearly ten times its diminutive size. The student nodding began running with its master following the blood trail, using the former's keen sense of smell to track the lingering residue of humans.

"Every ounce of them I read in reports... it's disgusting. To seduce and succeed in making intercourse with a married being? Rape? Murder? Have you seen their mass genocides? Worse then any natural disasters." They kept running, but the spherical master could hear the hidden contempt in his student.

"Is that all?" he asked casually as Luka stopped in the depth of the forest. Ears up. Then off again running towards a new, unknown location.

"They eat furries like deranged hyenas! Look at their bloodied hands. They treat life with no regard for the consequences and the only one that does is that psychopathic ringmaster of theirs! Even that incredibly strong, sadistic ex-military general in their circus is less threatening then him. He was the only circus member I ever saw... but I saw him kill my mother." Luka stopped again. The secret agent stopping not long after, looking left and right. He knew not to worry about his disciple, as he knew he was a hardened soul.

"Does venting feel better?"

"... Yeah. Thanks master."

"The trail stops here, yes?" It was nowhere. After the forest it was just a mess of grassy hills and desert... a natural phenomena that no one understood. Luka turned and gave a small sight at its senior.

"... you're not going to leave me be here alone. I know you too well."

"You're so right Luka," the small being said as it took out its supplies, to start up a small camp."Do you know why I asked you to tell me your opinions?"

"To be honest... no."

"It's so you are clear when thinking. You need to be on top of your game when versing these people." Luka gave a small nod as it closed its rich ruby eyes. A few seconds later, sapphire flames had appeared between the two, as they began to settle for the night. The ocean eyes of the master met the ones of fire from the student. "You're young and you've just joined the SFDT, I want you to be ready."

"Ready?"

"You can't view the Circo De la Luna as humans... you can't view them with something that has a soul. They're not just like the usual inferior ones. They have no mercy."

* * *

And she thought they were going to be merciful.

Zelda was severely disappointed.

The Ice Jester was eternally cold, and because of this, the practicality of their costumes never factored in temperature change. The brunette woman found herself staring in disgust yet again as she laid eyes on her new clothes.

It wasn't as if it wasn't pretty. It was gorgeous with the sleek and sparkling material. Just... so revealing.

Putting the costume on seemed a better idea then wearing the old curtain at first... but as Zelda looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't say she enjoyed the view of herself.

She was wearing the same, white phantom-of-the-opera mask and a purple leotard that seemed to meld with her skin. The costume flaunted the intersection of her breasts and her magnificent legs for the world to see. That was it. Besides a blue jacket meant for style and some ankle-high boots, her whole costume was predominantly a single purple leotard.

"How indecent..." she muttered as she took the curtain and stormed out of the bathroom. Lack of sleep and the degradation that came with her uniform had put her in a terrible mood. The woman stalked to the campsite and stared at the morning wood, chucking the curtain on the fire and attempted to keep warm.

"Looking good sister." There was Sheik again, alone by the other side of the small, morning fire. "I never knew the'slut' look was in your wardrobe." Usually, retorting was beneath her; but her mood was foul and her body, tired.

"At least I look like I have some style. At least I seem to be respected around to be garbed in decency. You're just wearing an old jacket and someone's shorts."

"So?"

"You look like a street rat... and put a damn bra on for Din's sake. Your boobs will sag... but then again... they are rather small..."

"What did you say?" If she had two moments, Sheik would have hanged her senior. Fortunately for everyone's sake, Samus had pulled her silk around the seething blonde's neck and dragged her away. Zelda gave a winning smile and cuddled closer to the fire. Finally... some piece and quiet. Time to zone out...

Actually... why was there quiet? She was certain that she saw everyone earlier. Why did they suddenly decide to abandon everything? Zelda stood up and looked around. No one was there. Odd. Where did Samus take her sister? Why was it so quiet?

"Hello?"

They couldn't have just ditched her. Could they?

Well if they did... fine.

It wouldn't be the first time people walked away from her.

"... Just great," she groaned as she sat down again. "Now I have to start this all over again. What a mess." Now what was she going to do? Try find the circus again?

"Whats mess?"

There was only one voice that sounded like it was coming from a throat lined with sandpaper. Zelda turned around to see the fearsome lion of the circus: covered ankle-high in mud and standing up on his legs. His arms behind him and not on the ground for once. She carefully masked her disgust.

"Nothing. I thought the circus left, but seems I was mistaken." She turned her head back towards the fire.

"The...They... be back," the lion coughed out, "but... since alone... I apologise for then." That got her curiosity. Slowly the magician turned around.

"For?"

"Day... we met. Three... day ago. I attack you." Now that was an interesting turn of events. The cretin did have some manners. "I'm... sorry." He stuck out an awkward hand to show a bunch of messy wild flowers. It was like six-year-olds confessing their love. In all honesty, Zelda wanted to burn the grubby little weeds, and while it wasn't her concern if she hurt his feelings, she knew if she didn't take them, she'd be in trouble.

"Thank you Link. I forgive you. Perhaps the fault is mine for trying to sneak in here for murder." Another awkward silence as Zelda accepted the few flowers, wondering when she could dispose of them.

"Well... Sheik bitch." He laughed as if it was some massive joke. "You... fine if you stick with me. I... want to help ya adjust. You struggle fit and I want help." The brunette stared blankly at the blonde. He was treating her so highly... but almost as an equal.

"I don't need anyone's help. My position here is fine as it is," she analyzed him again. Her time here... it had taught her out of all the people here: he was the least human-like. "What makes you think you can help me?

"Wha- I just tho-"

"What makes you human enough to talk to me? You... in all my years, I have never seen anything as savage as you. Since when did humans walk on all fours?" Link's eyes widened. It wasn't as if Zelda enjoyed putting down hew new acquaintance: but it had to be said. How else would people know their places? "You say you believe in humans being equal or above furries How can you say that when you act no better them."

BAM!

Zelda was knocked back. She looked up to see the fire-breather, panting as he released his fists. Link just stared at her as the magician scrambled up.

"He's better then that. Link is our friend! He's better then any of those monsters!" Now it was Samus. Damn, they could be quiet when they wanted to. She didn't hear them at all. It had seemed they (being Samus, Roy, Pit and her sister) were all eavesdropping from a nearby caravan and heard everything she had said.

"Well it's true..."

"Shut up you whiney bitch!" Sheik screamed as she grabbed her needles. "Insensitive witch! Go back to hell!" Zelda didn't hesitate to use her magic to get out of there. Just as the metal left the blonde woman's fingertips, the wind had swept Zelda away. "Come back here! I know you haven't left! I can feel your magic! Come out bitch!"

Link stared where she was standing. No emotion on his face.

"Link... she didn't mean anything..." for Pit, of all people, to say something like that, was a big deal. He placed a hand on the lion's shoulder, but Link knocked it away and hissed. "Link..." The said blonde returned to his usual stance.

Hylian growled in warning.

And then he ran.

* * *

She knew she had appeared in one of the caravans. That much she could tell because she could hear Sheik's screeches from outside. Usually, Zelda knew how to avoid a fight, but how was she supposed to know her sister was there. Granted she said some unpleasant things but...

"Where am I?" How she started the fight didn't matter now. All she had to do was lay low for a little and hope she didn't teleport into Sheik's caravan. There was barely any light, except from the limited sunlight pouring through the tiny window. Her hand went to the wall to look for a light switch, but instead, found the soft wrinkles of paper. "Wha-"

A slight brushing sound. Zelda stepped back into the shadows and squinted. How was it so dark when it was nearly midday? Apparently the stranger had no problems with it... wait... stranger?

There was a blue-haired person in the center of the room with a canvas. From this angle, she couldn't see what he was painting, so Zelda decided to stare at the newcomer's face. Why hadn't she seen him before? She would have surely remembered someone so well toned, and with such dark skin. She wouldn't have missed anyone with a white scar across their facial features...

"Eh? Who's there?" She knew that voice...

"I'm sorry! I came here by accident and..." The figure's hands flew to his face and he began to run. "Eh!"

SLAM.

Zelda didn't notice that there was a backdoor. The figure had run out through it. Wait... not a back door... she could hear water. It must have been a private bathroom.

The magician turned to leave... but then remembered why she was hiding here. So, instead, she came out of the shadows and felt for a light switch. Surprisingly, she found one.

The small light flickered on, illuminating the room with a warm gold glow. Zelda's eyes widened. The wall felt like paper because it was covered in it. Sketches of different sizes, paintings of different colours as bright as the starlight, pictures and photos. It was like an art gallery. Even tiny sculptures. A professional must have done these works. Every piece was nothing short of perfection.

"Wow..." Besides a tiny bed and chest of drawers, it was your normal art studio. The Dark magician girl walked up to the canvas where she had seen the stranger. She gasped.

The person was painting her.

The door unlocked.

"I'm sorry for the mess Zelda. Next time, please knock before entering. I wasn't dressed." He couldn't be that person from earlier...

"... Marth?" she asked as she saw the pale clown walk out: his face sloppily covered in his usual makeup. "Did... you draw that?" she pointed behind her.

THUNK.

Marth was now bowed before her, facing the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

* * *

**PLOTS :D****  
**

**Review!**


	18. Knowing you

**Circo De la Luna**

**Whatchu lookin at? I aint own nuffin!**

**A/N: Like the word 'animals' can catergorise two completely different things together (like a worm and a whale), the term 'Furries' describes all non-humans such as Pokemon, Antromorphic beings, Primids and even Redead. However, it does not apply to what is consider 'insentient' such as cattle and chickens. Animals are still respected above humans.**

* * *

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Zelda stared at the clown before her. His innocent white-cloaked body was quivering. Was he afraid? Nervous? Was it her scars that scared the child-like man? She didn't mean to intrude here. Any minute now, he was going to stare at her like everyone else in fear and ask her to leave...

"For drawing you without permission!" Deadpan. Didn't see that one coming. Zelda raised her only eyebrow. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I'm not a creep! I'm sorry! I just had so much inspiration and I forgot to ask you and..."

"Whoa... please slow down, you're giving me a headache," the blue-haired clown raised his head, giving Zelda a full glimpse of his freshly painted white face, "I don't know why you're apologizing. Just... please get up and let's be rational." Well, Zelda hoped they could be rational. She hadn't met a sane human in years.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He got up and stared at Zelda straight in both her eyes. Curious... he didn't shun away from the grotesque side of her face like she thought he would.

"No, it's my fault for teleporting in here," here they were, talking like old friends catching up by a news stand, "Uh... could I stay here a while? I think I irritated the others." As if on cue, a loud screech was heard from outside. Both of them grimaced.

"Well, Sheik has always been an irritable one, so I understand." It was nice to see there were genuinely pleasant and kind people in this freak show. "Sheik doesn't like you very much, does she?" He was prying lightly, but his friendly tone overlaid the message that if she didn't want to talk, she didn't have to.

"Nope. The feeling is mutual. We're just sisters who never got along." That was an understatement. The bluenette gave a small chuckle.

"Well take a seat on the bed and I'll find that flask of tea I made this morning. Sorry my room is messy." Zelda couldn't disagree. The blue haired man switched a second light on to reveal the rest of the room and its private art gallery. Marth began his search while his companion couldn't help but gawk at the surroundings..

"You made all of these?"

"Yes, I do a lot of it for fun. Art relaxes me... ah! Found it." Finding two cups, the shy man handed one to the burnt magician who muttered her thanks. The clown stood in front her and gave a small smile. For a moment, there was nothing to say.

"Aren't you going to sit? I can get up if you want."

"No, my legs need to stretch anyway."

Then awkward silence.

She expected it, but still... awkward silence was... awkward. Judging by the clown's expression, Zelda could tell that he wouldn't be making a move first.

"Marth... that's your name, right?" she received a small dreamy nod, "these paintings... all of your art... it's amazing." More silence. "Why are you so shy about your work? Everything here is beautiful."

"Thank you. I guess, that's how I am." Zelda received a simple shrug from him. This was going nowhere.

"... why did you overreact?"

"Well..." the clown took a moment to sophisticate himself, "I don't want to offend anyone if I draw something that they don't like. I usually ask for their permission. You know... everyone is so sensitive these days. I was really inspired to paint you so... I forgot to ask permission. I'm so sorry Miss Zelda." His reason sounded a bit... odd but Zelda didn't laugh at it. He was so serious yet sincere with his open-ended apology. The brunette woman flashed him her other half of her permanent smile.

"It's fine. Really. I don't mind you drawing... whatever of me; because I really admire your works," that prompted a short-lived smile, "You just keep doing what you're doing and you'll get far in life." Zelda hoped Marth was acknowledging her compliments; she didn't usually forfeit them easily. "I'm actually wondering why you don't leave this circus and sell these. Even humans can maintain a decent living in an anthropomorphic society." The voice of experience. However, its cousin covered experience's mouth in the same way Marth stopped her voice when he locked gazes with her.

The clown fell silent. He didn't freeze nor did he start to fidget uncomfortably like a norma person; he was deadly silent. It wasn't like he fell into silence, more like the entire room was ripped from the ground and thrown to a void of muteness. Just a moment ago, she could hear the yells of her sister and her cohorts; but now (as if the clown radiated a consuming aura) the sound was the perpetual ringing of silence.

"Marth?" The clown looked at her. The expression on his face was flickering between solemn and just plain creepy. The dark shadows around his eyes, that had suddenly appeared, didn't help ease the suddenly tense mood either.

"I can never go there again. I can't ever go back." His voice was distant and cold, as if his soul had wandered elsewhere leaving only wisps of his cheery self in the hollow shell.

"Go back?" Now the enchantress was really confused; and a little scared. "Are you okay?" Zelda reached out to grab his shoulder gently, but as she stood up, she stepped on a thick discarded paintbrush.

She tripped.

"Eh! Look out!" Marth's eyes widened as the princess practically tackled him to the ground. They fell to the ground with a loud crash and Marth gave a loud moan.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

"Ah... Ah... please get off, it hurts..."

"I'm sitting up but... my leg, it's tangled with yours..."

BAM!

"MARTH! Are you okay? I heard a crash and..."

Both of the circus members looked at the door to see the acrobat gawking at them. After taking a look down, Zelda couldn't blame her. They were in a pretty prerogative position; calm-faced Zelda sitting on top of Marth, her leg around his and all while Marth was blushing and looking flustered.

All in all, Zelda looked like she was trying to rape Marth.

"YOU BITCH!" Samus screamed, going instantly to 'Berserk Protective Big Sister mode.' Zelda quickly untangled her leg from the clowns and began to step back. "You know what? I think Sheik has every right to gut your throat! First you barge in to kill her, then you go reject the kindness we try to put out, and you insult Link! But now..." as if to compensate that she couldn't describe what was in front of her, she screamed and twirled her silk.

"It was an accident," At first, Zelda was confused why the acrobat actually hadn't lashed out yet. Then she realised, Samus either didn't want to break anything in the bluenette's room... that or she didn't want him to see her knock out the dark magician. "Look, I'm just... here," Zelda had too much pride to admit she was hiding from her sister. Especially when she was the one who was supposed to be hunting her down.

"Marth?" Samus asked, "is that true?"

"Yes..."

"Believe me, I wasn't trying to jump your boyfriend."

Marth covered an indescribable sound while Samus suddenly relaxed and gave a smile.

"Oh, Marth isn't my boyfriend. He's my Marthy and it's my job to protect him. I have been for the last three years and I will forever more!"

"Samus! You're embarrassing me." If you looked at the clown, you couldn't tell how he was feeling as his eyes were averting contact and his skin was too heavily coated with makeup. Zelda couldn't help but give a smirk at her roommate and the kind male.

"So, you're not boyfriend and girlfriend then? So how do you know each other? Siblings?"

"He might as well be my brother, but... let's not elaborate."

The thing was, when Zelda got curious, nothing could stop her from trying to discover the truth. She always found out what she wanted: whether she was two and wanted to find her mother's special cookie jar to trying to find out where the circus was when she was twenty four. She didn't intend on breaking her streak.

"Why? Some cruel and tragic past that could make a dead man cry? Please, it's okay," she wasn't being particularly nice, but she wasn't rude... just curious, "whatever you've been through, I know I've been through ten times worse."

"Oh?" Samus was quiet, but Marth could see something... something glowing in her eyes. This would not end well.

"Of course. I grew up with Sheik and I've been through a lot since she left." She purposely turned so that Samus could see her face. She wasn't sure when she had put the white mask down, nor did she care. Right now, she was focusing on making her-otherwise-beautiful self as intimidating and grotesque as possible.

Samus didn't budge.

"Uhh... Zelda, maybe Sheik has calmed down enough to talk..." Marth suddenly spoke up, trying to direct the flow of tension.

Zelda didn't move.

"You don't know what I've been through."

"Of course your life must be so easy in comparison. So easy." A second thought. A slip of the tongue. "Easy, like you are. I've heard about you Sa-" Marth didn't know what to do when Zelda was suddenly slapped across the face.

"I. Am. Not. Easy." Without warning, Samus shoved down both Marth and Zelda onto the clown's single bed and stood over them menacingly. The bluenette whimpered. The blonde growled and the brunette wondered what she had gotten herself into. "I'm going to tell you my story you pretentious witch. I am not easy. I never have been and I never will be."

"Samus..."

"Marth, don't worry. I can talk. You want to know how I grew up? I didn't have anyone with me! When I was five, I was brought into the HCW. The Human Containment Ward."

* * *

"Master... am... I human?" The blonde didn't see the dark-haired man raise his eyebrow as he finished murdering the fire. While he stared at the furred teenager, the lion could tell that his master was surprised. Arms dropped uncomfortable (idly) to his sides and tail swishing on the ground. It was rare to see Link standing up. The Hylian's blonde hair shagged in front of his eyes and said blue orbs were as pale as the moon. The ringmaster said nothing for a moment, before turning his back on the youth.

The lion tugged the master's new black trench-coat. "Whyz... not able to be normal human? Not like otherz..." The Hylian needed answers. All his life he'd been good and faithful, so why was he suffering? Was he a real man? A furry like Zelda said? Some hidious fusion in between? What made him any better then their accursed foes? Why was he cared for? "Master. Am I... Am I human? Fully?"

"What brought this up?"

"...Thingz happened."

Ike raised another eyebrow and said nothing, instead, he crossed his arms and began to walk back to his room. Clumsily, the Hylian followed suit. One padded bare foot after the other in a slow shuffle. If his master didn't tell him to let go of his cloak; so he was able to be supported the whole way to the caravan. The master didn't tell him to stop speaking, then he wouldn't.

"They... make me think like this. Why they like this? I'z... human." The ringmaster didn't reply yet again. He opened the door and (at least) acknowledged the lion's presence by leaving the door open for him to slander through. "They make me creature. They don't treat me creature. Then... Reld... Zelda call me not human either. Wha- Whatz am I?"

The ringmaster shut the door and sat in his large rotating chair. He made no implication to gesture his lion to lie down and, in a way, Link knew that he was acknowledging him for something more then a pet. It didn't help, because now the blonde's emotions were as high as ever. Ike watched as Link clutched his fist and dug his razor sharp nails into his warm flesh.

"Why not able to be a normal human?"

"Crying isn't good for your reputation Link," Ike stated coldly.

"What?"

"If you fall in love, then you're nothing more then filling your head with delusions," Link didn't even say anything of the sort, but still the master continued, "Love is a craving and need. It proves nothing and is simply illogical. Affections can be returned, but never do I think that they can be kept."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter." Ike got up and began to stretch, almost boredly, "If you're questioning me, then there's your answer." Link looked at him questioningly. "Zelda will never fall in love with a beast..." His last sentence didn't even consist of ten words: but any abuse, pain or anxiety Link had felt over his life suddenly became nothing but musical laughter. Nine words that creeped to his soul and mixed his head around...

"WHAT?" The lion roared. Even if Link had been saying the exact same thing, saying the same message and his insecurities; hearing it from his beloved master made it seem like reality had just crashed down and broken every bone in his body. The unfinished sentence was but a powerful blow which had slipped into the cracks of the lion and blown them out of proportion. It'd be exaggerating to say Lion Link was just mad. He was livid, furious... all because of his yearning to be with Zelda.

_What were his feelings to her?_

The blue haired man flipped back as the blonde lunged forward into the moving chair effectively smashing it into the wall.

_Why was he rejected?_

A small part of his humanity was telling him to not start senselessly fighting the aggravating man; the rest of his body was coaxing him forth and egging him on.

_Did he want to fight?_

He knew perfectly why a simple sentence could get him in his blood-thirsty state.

_What did his master know?_

He knew he should be fighting and not giving into the carnivorous animal side.

_Was his master telling him the truth?_

He knew that if he didn't resist; he'd be proving that he was a monster. He'd be proving that he was more of a beast and furry then a human. He didn't want that. He had to stop. He needed to. He had to be in control. Any rational thought complied together to try and pull himself out of the offensive behavior he was in.

Yet he still lunged.

Again and again and again. Each time Ike had sidestepped with speed and an almost morbid grace. While Link was filled with the fullest intent to knock the hurtful head off his master's shoulders, the ringmaster had a vaguely amused expression. It seemed to fuel Link even more as the lion continued bounding after his quick master (now on all fours); knocking over everything in the small room besides the mirror.

"Are you upset? I thought you weren't sure about your humanity. So why do you fight for what you don't think you have?"

Now in a savage state, Link was too furious and too upset to actually comprehend what the ringmaster was saying. The animal inside was too busy on focusing keeping the ringmaster still, long enough to throttle him. The most primitive thoughts had him. Once this caged side was loose, it took a hell of an effort to lure it back inside.

The bluenette backflipped again and watched as the enraged lion ram into the door and stick his claws in the thick wood. His left hand was freed, but his weaker, right claws were still in the oak door. As Link began trying to jerk them out, Ike ceased the opportunity to twist the blonde's free arm behind his back. He roared as the ringmaster pulled him out of the door and threw him on the floor.

Instantly, the lion tried to scramble back up, only to be pushed down by the ringmaster and his arms painfully twisted behind his back. Again, the lion began to roar, but now still in the same hatred from before. Ike said nothing as the blonde thrashed and thrashed again.

It was a while before anything happened. The bluenette knew he had to take control; so he flipped Link to look at him. Murderous intent was shoved in his face, but time stopped and neither of the two moved. Pools of blue locked with the dark obsidian orbs. It was as if the icy depth of the Ringmaster was pulling the human side back out: Link screamed at the master and tried to spit in his face and struggle out of his vice-grip around his wrists. All Ike did was sigh and bring the lion close to his body, wrapping his muscular arms tightly around the creature's body. The blonde was still furious at his master, wriggling his tail and digging in his claws into his master's flesh, but Ike showed no pain. Ike's arms warm and surprisingly gentle against the struggling. He just stayed there and held the thrashing lion before the Hylian's jerking movements began to slow down. Anger swiftly shifted back into saddened yearning. He hadn't felt this way since...

"You love her. Don't you? Just because she's Zelda right?" his voice sounded like something from a dream. Almost real... but not quite there. His ringmaster was not being soft or kind, but not demanding or blunt like he usually was.

Link shook his head.

"...Zelda... no. Not like first. This... this feeling more then other Zelda. Other one... she nice and so... so special. This... this... I want to know her. I think... love..." The poor lion looked so damn confused, it was hard not to think of him as a stray kitten.

"Emotion turns us into fools Link. I tell you not to feel because inevitably death breaks hearts and minds," the lion growled, trying to suck the tears back into his eyes, "but, what makes us human…what separates us from everything else; is our ability to dream. Our ability to strive for a forbidden goal outside our bodies and outside corpses we are locked in and bones that bind us. Link, you're human. You think and speak... and you feel. You fight because you want her so much. You have a soul Link... and that's all that really matters." Never had the Hylian had enough tears to bawl, so he sufficed by letting a few tears fall, "You keep up to the standard of the circus and I don't care what you do in your spare time..."

"M-Master," the lion growled, biting his lip and pulling away, "Make up for... for attackingz. Be rough."

"You don't have to do that Link..." Ike purred in his ear eloquently as he made the transition from encouraging and serious to smug and seductive.

"...Please... hurt me... make me hurt. Make me feel alive... need... pain as well as... Ah!" Ike had bitten harshly on the lion's neck and had his hand reaching down to his tail.

"Master... need it more..." Link purred in gratification as Ike began to hook his fingers on the tearing shorts.

"If you say so; my masochistic kitten." As Ike began to rub his lithe beast of the circus, the human within muttered before the sharp buzz of ecstasy began to fill him. Ike discarded his hat and pants as he got closer to the blonde. Link moaned.

"I lovez you... I'm sorry."

"Yeah, yeah... I know you do."

* * *

**Psychology is so interesting. I hope I managed to convey the dynamics between the Lion Link and Ringmaster Ike relationship. Not just the sex bit but the real direct relationship and the master/servant loyalty aspect.**

**Haha! Samus' chapter is next!  
**

**Review!**


	19. Filler: One sided heart

**Circo De la Luna**

**Was supposed to be a previous chapter. Forgot it. It's filler. Also needed to be read here so no spoilers in TWOC  
**

* * *

One sided love...

I read so many stories about it...  
But with you, it's never gonna work.

You're the friend I always wanted. The fire with no burn.  
You're so... gentle. So soft. I want to feel your embrace with my burnt hands.  
Sure you are timid sometimes, but I can sense your determination; your caring nature and your warm heart.

The strongman was my only other friend but you, the fragile one, opened yourself up to me. You see right through my flames sometimes.  
You make me feel happy. Happier then I have ever been before.

You know that I, the fire, am not all dangerous. I'm scared of water: but when you douse me, I'm okay. I love how much you have taught me about life and myself.

You are always happy first thing in the morning when I am grumpy. You are the morning sun, the very first spark in my day.  
You are so precious to this flame... more then you will ever know.

Everything I ever wanted, everything I needed.

You brightened my heart.  
You make me put on a warm smile.  
You always make me feel that you are by my burning side no matter what.  
You make me feel secure when you wrap your warm arms around me  
You keep your cool when I do something hot and stupid.

Just being with you feels like I can defy the whole world. Like I can stand against it, instead of burning it.  
You mean the world to me.

But this fiery passion that never will be.

Because you love her.

You love her in the same unrequited love I do.  
Why wouldn't you? She's beautiful, flexible, kind, sexy and intelligent. She's always been there for you since you were small; when you were in your darkest time. She just hasn't realised your feelings for her yet.

Its funny... you love her in the same manner I do to you.

I have no chance. She is a SHE. I am a guy. Here, it usually doesn't matter, but you are straight. You have nothing against bisexuals but I know you aren't one yourself.

My heart burns in the bad way.

I won't be in the way when she finally realises that you love her.  
I'll stand aside when you rush to hug her.  
But my life will seem empty if you go away. Away from me. As long as I see you... no matter who you are with, I think I will get by...

You make me want to scream, but then again it's just it's how it all seems.

I'm just the one in love  
You're always together with her  
And it tears me up. It hurts.

I can tell I don't have a chance  
But I can't stop these feelings growing

You give me such love I haven't experienced  
But I cannot take this.  
I will wait, but I'm not going to take.

It's a cold cold world out there. My flames can't get rid of its chills...  
I feel like I'm in distress

But you're never going to care.  
Not in the way I do to you.

So let me tell you something  
That I'm sure you've never heard of since you were small.  
Tender love and care; that you would have never guessed coming from a flaming fool like me.

I LOVE YOU!

* * *

**It's preperation for long chapters of angst later on. Oh how I love my drama.  
**

**Now Samus chapter is next. Prepare for a LONG break before new chappie  
**

**Review!**


	20. History: Acrobat Samantha 'Samus' Aran

**Circo De la Luna**

**I don't own the originals, I own the Circus versions. It's not hard to understand**

**Samus' backstory time! A flexible tale of one woman ^^ It sucks but enjoy it anyway!  
**

* * *

"Mum... can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?" the little blonde girl asked, her crystal blue eyes gazing imploringly at the tall woman before her. Her daddy was working in the mines as usual, but the girl didn't mind. Tomorrow he would come home and carry her around before he'd teach her how to become big and strong like he was. They'd go out to the park together and swing, swing, swing! Her mummy was so nice. Playgroup was yesterday and her mummy was nice enough to stop sewing to play. She had been playing with her for the whole day at home and the girl had lots of fun. They baked cookies, they read lots and lots of books and they went to play with her large dolls! She didn't want the fun to stop!

However, her mother smiled sadly. "Oh sweetie... I can't tonight, it's too late... but I will tomorrow, I promise..." How distant she sounded. She was probably tired from having a super fun day today. It was awesome how mummy and daddy always tried to play with her. She always wanted to help her mummy and daddy too!

"But I'm not tired..." she tried to whine. She yawned causing the older blonde to laugh.

"Really then?"

"Okay... but you have to pinky promise to read me two stories tomorrow!"

"It's a promise," her mother smiled as she crossed her little finger with her daughter. The woman kissed her daughter on the head. "Goodnight sweetie."

"Night mummy." She hugged her mouse doll as her mother switched off the lights. She closed the door partially; making sure the hallway light could get into the light blue room. Before she knew it, the little girl fell asleep.

Her dreams were peaceful but short-lived.

She couldn't have been sleeping for an hour before she was awoken by a loud crash. "Daddy?" The house was completely pitch black. Grabbing her doll for protection, the little blonde began creeping over to the door. Another crash. Murmuring. "Daddy? Mummy?"

"Where's your brat Aran?" She heard a loud crash and moved back. Was her daddy crying? Daddy never cried. Daddy was a big strong man who protected her when she cried. "Where is she? You should be happy we're giving your daughter this chance!" What a rough-sounding voice...

The girl began feeling her way closer to the kitchen, guided only by the pale, warning moon and the kitchen walls. She stumbled across the light switch and the only unbroken light flickered weakly on.

"Daddy? Daddy?" She turned. She screamed.

Her mother: dead on the floor and blood flowing from her chest and the heart discarded on the floor. Her father: being held by possibly the most hideous creature she had ever seen. Powerful wings, leathery dark purple skin, razor sharp teeth in an elongated beak... and the most horrific, blood thirsty yellow eyes. It was a truly soul-scaring creature. The girl dropped her doll and couldn't move a muscle.

"SAMANTHA! RUN!" the man yelled. Still the girl didn't move: still too scared. The creature grinned and whipped around its large clawed hand, grabbing the girl. "SAMANTHA!"

"Enough old man, you should be thankful. We're giving your girl a chance for life," it stepped harder on Mr. Aran underneath it. He yelled.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Samantha screamed as she squirmed. The beast gave three triumphant smirks and spread its wings. The blonde girl screamed in horror as she heard the 'crunch' underneath the creature's foot and she was suddenly sent flying thousands of meters into the air.

And just like that, life is lost and freedom is gone.

* * *

_"You know, most kids wouldn't try to punch the guards here. They're made out of stone after all." The girl wiped her eyes to see a muscular, blonde middle-aged man standing over her with a half-smile on his face. She sniffed before turning back to her punishment and hit the slab of stone, with the blunt pickaxe, as hard as she could. "You have guts girl, you're not like the other kids in here. Are you?" _

_"No... they're scared. I'm not. I want to avenge my parents deaths." The man raised his eyebrow._

_"How old are you?"_

_"Seven." She hammered into the stone again. Facing the same punishment, the man slammed his primitive hammer into the stone. _

_"Young, and yet so much power..." he muttered dully. They stayed still and hammered away at the large stone. "Hey, do you like reading?" the girl froze for a moment. Mommy and her loved to read together._

_"...yes. Do you?" For fear she would be hit by a guard, she avoided tears. "Can...can you teach me properly?" However, the new man put his hand on the girl's head and smiled._

_"You can call me Gray Fox. Next lunchtime, find me in the disabled bathroom okay?"_

_"...okay sir. I'm Samantha Aran." However, something didn't sit quite right with his pupil's name. The toughened youth didn't suit the name Samantha._

_"Samus. Can I call you that?" the girl looked up at him. He cared enough to give her a nickname? Humans rarely talked to each other... and the guards... well the name was better then what the guards called her. 'Scum.' _

_"Sure." Samus gave her first smile in two years._

* * *

_"T-they keep hitting me Gray!" sobbed Samus as the teenager slumped into the man's arms. "Th-they keep laughing and I d-didn't do anything wrong!" The man sighed and stroked the girl's hair, trying to calm the breaking girl down. _

_"Hey Samus... do you know why the Furries don't like us?"_

_"...Why?" he chuckled as he continued stroking her gently. Trying to keep her from falling to pieces. _

_"It's because we're stronger. You know your friends? How they seem to give up and then disappear? It's because they are deemed worthy to be released. They're slaves to the furries in mind and body." Samus sniffed and looked up. _

_"That's horrible! I'm NEVER going to be a slave to those monsters." Gray Fox smirked and he patted the teenager's head. _

_"I know you won't. I'll make sure I'm there to protect you and make sure you never give in. Samus... you're so strong for a young girl..." Samus shifted. "No I'm not Gray... I... I get weak at night." She looked ashamed, but the man simply hugged the girl again. _

_"Nightmares? Same ones?" she nodded "Samus, I'll get us out of here someday and make sure you have no bad dreams again. We'll be free... okay?"_

_Samus looked up and smiled._

"... Mochiron Furries wa bakanadesu. Naze ta no karera wa watashi-tachi no ressun o shitta bakaride wa nai nodesu ka?"

"Samusu-chan itsumo no yō ni kanpeki. Anata wa hijō ni jinsoku ni gengo o pikkuappu shi, anata no tatakai wa, kitai o koete imasu."

"Sensei arigatō"

"That's enough for today Samus. We will continue improving your fitness in three days. Meal break is almost over."

"Okay, see you Gray Fox." The first time she had entered the disabled bathroom, she was a scrawny seven year old: now, she was a walking sex-bomb. At twenty years of age, Samus had grown in the opposite way that most humans would. She was tall and slightly muscular, opposed to how most people would degrade to nothing but bones, and while still skinny due to malnourishment: Samus was beautiful. Often she had to endure taunting and attempts of violation from the guards of the wards and the jealousy of some of the female inmates but never was Samus effected by it. At night, when she was in her straitjacket ready for bed, she would take knowledge that her body was only physical evidence on how her mind had grown strong. For the long eleven years, she had been training so hard at the one chance of freedom that Gray Fox promised to give her. Her closest friend had given her the gift of many tongues and the ability to fight. Now, Samus thought she could understand the garbled language of Primids and take on anyone.

She walked back outside by herself. Back to where the sun was shining and the humans got their exercise time. It was her favourite time: not having to go under therapy or go into those white single prisons. Yes, she loved exercise time. She could talk to other people, even if half of them were petrified beyond belief. She looked at the sun: only five minutes left of break. Pity.

Samus was just about to cartwheel over to her favourite sunny spot when someone caught her eye. It was a small, sapphire haired-boy, huddled in the corner away from everyone else. Weird. Everyone wanted to interact with others and move about. He didn't. Curiosity spiked her and the blonde walked up to the little bluenette.

"Hey... You okay kid?" The bluenette didn't respond. "Hey..." she put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, she was thrown towards the wall. Thankfully, due to her quickly placed wall flip, she was unharmed. "Hey! Do you want to fight?" Samus was always ready for the odd Brawl, but she was surprised when her offer was denied. The boy shook his head, but still faced the wall. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She expected to see some smug-looking punk ready to try kick her ass, but what she got was quite the opposite.

He looked so thin and so fragile that he could've been mistaken for a giant porcelain doll- and Samus had seen a lot of tiny people in her time. However, what truly scared her was... his face. She couldn't bare to look at the horrendous sight. The feeling was neutral as large sky-blue eyes of pure fright looked at her and he flinched.

"You..." the siren rang. Time to go back inside to therapy. Medicine? Hypnotism? Talking to a crazy coot? Who cared? She wanted to talk to the new kid. Although Samus' mouth closed, her eyes widened as she watched as thirteen oversized guards surrounded the small boy and escorted him away. He offered no resistance but yet, he was clearly intimidated by the whole bunch of villains. You offered resistance to the guards- you were sent to Ridley and his Space Pirates... somewhere and some people you didn't want to be with. Samus knew that from experience.

Odd. Why so many? Even if she was a bit rowdy, Samus only ever had three guards... at most when she was difficult. Was he that much of a maniac? Or his crime notorious? Could he be dangerous? The woman turned around to meet the regular guards to walk them back in, but not before she looked back at the small child.

Different shades of blue eyes met.

Sudden silence.

Deafness to the world.

Sudden heat.

And Samus then knew he was innocent.

She knew what she had to do.

Samus made a small wave to the boy as he was escorted away.

As she walked back into her cell, she made a silent vow.

To protect the boy.

* * *

"So the boy's name is Marth and he's fifteen? Bit young for ya Sammy." Samus would have made a sarcastic comment if she wasn't sweating so hard from hammering the stone. Again with the same punishment and yet it seemed that the stone got harder and harder every time she got in trouble. It was almost not worth trying to get out here to talk to Gray Fox.

"Yeah, yeah. He's cute and all but he barely talks. Ever." It was true, while Samus gave him the full tour of the Human Containment Ward during breaks, the boy always stayed silent- only talking to reveal his name and his 'thanks' to her. They couldn't physically hang out a lot so most of their meetings were about Samus talking about herself and Marth nodding or agreeing with her earnestly. So far, Samus had kept her promise by hanging out with little Marth as much as she could and protecting him from any undesirables. Clearly her long-time mentor had noticed. Why wouldn't he? She was so attached to the little guy. "So, what did you want to talk to me about Gray?" The man looked up and made sure no guards or other humans were about before leaning in, eyes almost filled with whimsical glee.

"We're getting out of here. Remember the plumbing system I was talking about? The one that could get to the outside?" How could she forget? It was so damn weird even for Gray- he had been staring at that disgusting toilet for months. "I managed to contact my 'special' contacts. In about three months, the two of us can be free."

SNAP.

Samus had hit the stone as hard as she could and the hammer had a large crack in it. If a bunch of Primids didn't pass, she would have hugged the old man. Free? She had always wanted to escape and if Gray Fox said they could, they could be free! To enjoy the sunshine. To dance! To read and listen to music! Freedom that was so desired and cherished in this unforgiving prison... coming to her!

Only her...

That made the blonde's lights in her eyes die a little. She had grown attached... to...

"Samus... I know what you're thinking: and the caravan can only take two people." She had to be strong. Gray Fox wanted to get out for longer then she had and she couldn't be selfish. The blonde hid the protest of leaving the quiet boy behind a clear smile.

"Thanks Gray." He gave a small smile back.

"Tomorrow, we start planning our escape out of here. Our freedom quest begins my girl."

* * *

Lights flickered from above a white padded room. Samus stared blankly as the light flicked on for several seconds and then off again. "On, off, on, off~" she chuckled rocking to and fro. She hadn't gone insane. Not yet; but she needed to put her facade up. It's been several months now and surely they have all forgotten about the blonde's existence, well, at least enough to assume they would all be safe from her. It was all part of the plan. "On, off," she breathed out a little softer then before only to realize the lights were not flickering any more. Seems someone fixed them again meaning it was meal time for some and nighty night time for the rest.

She rocked while repeating her cheery little tune even though the lights were not flicking so much any more apart from the small electrical surge every once and a while. Tonight was the big night. Nighty night time it was then, perfect timing really.

"On, off, on, off, off, on, Heh, heh, heh," Samus cackled as words fumbled and a faint click of the room next to her reached her ears... followed by a scream. Seemed that patient next door did not want to sleep just yet... but if he didn't hurry up and let the furries stab him with that damned needle then she not be able to make it to the destination on time. Timing was crucial. "Hurry up and go to bed please," Samus prayed, only to hear another scream that faded away soon after a small thump. "That's better, now come here..."

The door opened silently as two Primids dressed in green and white entered and grinned at me with their red eyes. They were like dolls, disgustingly all alike in every why imaginable: looks, speech, clothes, gestures, everything really.

"Are you ready to go to Dreamland?" Stupid joke. It was a stupid and stupid joke but Samus restrained what she wanted to say. Instead, she tilted her head and said nothing, trying her best to look harmless like she had done after that stupid failed attempt with hypnotism. At least it gave her this one shoot at tricking them to think they fixed her. "Just stay there and we'll be off in no time," the closer of the two promised as he walked closer to kneel down before her.

Running her tongue over her lips nervously, the Primid before her stopped moving closer and frowned slightly. "Sleep sounds nice but first," Samus licked her dry lips again and forced her nose to twitch before crossing her blue eyes to look at it. "Could you please scratch my nose since I can't do it myself?" The primid chuckled and inwardly Samus smirked as she physically uncrossed her eyes to look at the male. Now was the first of the many risks she was to take. Was he going to help her out or ignore the human like he usually would if she hadn't been acting more obedient these past few weeks? She was even using 'please' now.

A snicker came from the primid as he lowered his hand with the needle and raised the other to scratch the tip of her pointed nose. Samus closed her eyes for a second only to open then as she leaned back a hair. Perfect position really, the woman could not have asked for more convenient one. "Is that better, Sam?" Oh-yes. Yes it was. Like sandpaper to an open wound.

"I-I thought of one more thing you can do for me before I sleep." The tone of voice she used, sultry yet also innocent, disgusted herself. The Primid near the door rolled his eyes impatiently and took this as a chance to lean his back against the door. The word anything escaped his mouth which almost made Samus smirk in delight. This was it. "Could you please- DIE!" the last word ripped out of the blonde's throat with a hefty dose of venom that she had forced myself to hide for far too long. It was definitely heavenly to let it out now.

Bloody eyes widened as the prisoner's legs wrapped around his neck, his face against her pelvis for a split second till a satisfying crack hushed his muffled cry. The limp body fell over to Samus' left and Samus flipped onto her feet. The Primid by the door standing fully erect now with a gaping mouth.

"Code twelve! We have a code twel-" The world was white for a moment from the force Samus had to use to shut the other up- perhaps ramming herself into him was not the most brilliant part of the plan but it did cause him to fall to the ground gasping for breath.

"Now it's your time to see what it feels like to have no one listen to your screams." Slipping out the door, Samus managed to kick it shut knowing it would lock on its own. A nifty little feature commonly used to quickly toss humans into their room and trap them there before they could turn around to run back out. The thick padding would muffle most of the screams anyone could make but such a thing also made each individual cry sound monotonous. No one would question the sounds from her old room. No regrets leaving the place where she had grew up. Now was just the minor detail of getting out of this prison.

Phase one was done and over with, now to swap one with part two and hope that part three would just show up and work. Samus padded through the hall with her arms still tightly around herself, the end of her sleeves flapping behind her as she took a sharp turn and slid across the freshly waxed flooring with her white socks. If there was any color she could live without, it would be white considering she had dealt with more then her fair share of the sickeningly pure hue. "Left then- slide," she muttered under my breath and hit the deck, letting herself slide past an open door. The silver buckles dangling from her black straps making a soft jingle noise as the people at their desk kept typing away on their keyboards. Computer geeks. Got to love that they are loyal to their work: even if one of them had pictures of some little girl on their screen and they all thought she was the sick puppy? Ha!

Once she had stopped her sliding Samus took back to running again taking a hard right- right into a neko who had been pushing a metal cart of food to deliver to the people that did not eat yet. Her startled yelp shifted into a short question of 'Are you okay?' that melted away into a dreaded shout of 'Code Twelve' and as much as Samus wanted to shut her mouth for her, she had more urgent things to tend too. White walls flashed by as she leaned heavily onto the cart, a sad excuse for an apple tart oozing its bitter insides against the front of her straight jacket while Samus ran a few steps and let the cart tear through the hall. Mashed potatoes and other flavorless food flew back leaving a scattered trail for anyone to follow to find my whereabouts along with a oddly sweet tart or two. "Get out of my way!" There would have been a few colorful words in the sentence but keeping things short and to the point was far better then insulting the beasts around her given the current situation.

A bulky ape caught on to her plans and rushed out in front of Samus, grabbing the front of the cart when she had just been ready to make another turn. The sudden stop caused her body to be flung off the glimmering silver cart across the hall into a wall where she groaned for a brief moment then tried to scurry back up to her feet. A feat that would be extremely difficult to any normal person but she had been practicing for such a thing in her cell, giving me enough time to perfect her balance without the use of her arms though the added socks were a little more difficult since they slid a heck of a lot father then bare feet.

Huge burly arms made a wipe at the girl's waist and she threw herself against the wall to avoid his massive guns. Where was this monkey (ape) hiding at when Gray Fox had surveyed everyone else at this facility? Was he fucking new or just an old on steroids? Another swipe managed to grab a hold of one of her dangling sleeve which in turn jerked Samus around to see the simian version of the Incredible Hulk reaching up to get her other hand on her outfit. "Let go of me!"

Glinting metal flashed into sight then sunk into the giant's arm, his hold loosening up a hair. "You heard the woman, unhand him!" That voice, yes, part three of the plan was here! Gray Fox! His torso was still clad in a white straight jacket but he had somehow managed to get his undone and the black straps at the end of each sleeve dangled freely, steak knives in his hands, seemed he had found a way to hold the damned things without dropping them despite the clothe that hung over his pale hands as if they were deranged overly-long mittens.

"About time old man," Samus hissed though could not resist grinning at the other who grunted under his breath. "Is part four in progress?" The cranky ape had managed to get the knife out of his arm and let it clatter loudly against the hard floor.

"Have you any idea how hard it is to make a shank out of a button?" the fighter snarled before rushing closer and slamming the knife he wielded into the offending ape's neck, jerking back as hard as he could which ripped not only the muscles and tissue but the blade itself out of his grasp. Crimson slipping from the vital vein he had sliced open. "Not to mention that finding a real knife in the kitchen... it was almost impossible!" Expected. Everything they ate was prepackaged to reduce costs.

The strange code twelve was being shouted more and a siren roared to life. "Just lead the way out of here!" The words were a demand which the older man obliged to follow. A blaring noise in the background with confused and hysterical shouting tangled within it as the two ran through the maze of halls. Gray Fox stopped.

"What are you doing?" the man didn't reply; instead he grabbed the key from the discarded cart and shoved it in the hole, "This isn't part of our plan."

"I'll go ahead. Rescue Marth... I know you care for him. Samus... take care okay?" Any other person would accuse the man of trying to double cross them, but Samus wordlessly obeyed and opened the door as her mentor ran off down the hall. More white. It filled her eyes because the lights were freakishly bright. Huddled in the corner was Marth, his eyes were tightly shut and he was murmuring: trying to get the siren noises out of his head. "Marth... come on." The boy looked up and his eyes widened as he expected to see a furry.

"Samus?"

"Come on Marth, get up. We have to go." The blonde made a motion to help the bluenette, but it seemed like it was unneeded as Marth managed to use the wall to get himself onto his feet. He was so confused but he was quiet and unquestioning. "Come on. Gray Fox already has gotten our ride." The two ran out of the dank cell, Marth behind, closing the with his sock covered foot as he exited. Samus knew the layout by now and she knew the meeting point.

The backdoor had been smashed open by the ex-mercenary and both Samus and Marth navigated around the bodies with relative ease. Now there was just one more run: the gate. The blonde looked both ways and saw nothing but the empty metal exercise courtyard.

Samus was confused. Why were there no guards patrolling? She thought Gray Fox and herself would have to avoid them to get to the van. There was no time as a pickup truck screeched into sight. Pale yellow headlights shining through the darkness of the outside world with crimson in the back, the passenger door swinging open before the driver signaled for them to hurry up. Somehow Marth had managed to get ahead of Samus and rammed himself into the push door with such force, it cracked against the outer brick wall and nearly swung back into Samus face.

"Sorry!" There wasn't enough time for her to respond, seeing as phone calls were probably being made this very moment, so Samus left face first into the open door before being kicked down onto the floor of the truck not long after. In the front seat of the van was a young man. Little Mac was his name; if she wasn't mistaken. Without another word, he screeched the van to life and the began charging into the night. "We're alive? We... are free?" Marth smiled but Samus stood up and began throwing herself against the walls.

"Hey! Hey! Girlie! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Samus shot him a glare.

"What happened to Gray Fox? Why did you leave him back there? We have to go back!" Samus threw herself against the wall again.

"Hey, blue boy. Stop that crazy chick so I can explain what happened to Frank." Frank Jaegar, the real name of the man she had looked to as a stepfather. Marth pushed her body back and Samus sat down on the unloving hard floor.

"A few nights ago, Frank... Gray... contacted me and told me the change of plans. Instead of coming to the front, I was supposed to pick two people up in the back. I asked if he was one of them but he told me he was going to be a distraction. Why else did you get out so easily? The guards were chasing Frank out the entrance where he's probably been caught..." Little Mac muttered something under his breath sounding like 'that suicidal idiot.'

"No..." Samus shook her head, Marth leaned on her to comfort her without his arms, "He's... he's coming out. His plan is to meet us at that Chozo place right?"

"...Gray Fox wanted to tell you, you were an amazing woman Miss Aran. He knew his time was coming so... he gave you a chance for freedom." He didn't say anymore as they drove off into the sunrise.

Then Samus burst into her first real wave of tears in thirteen years.

She had started her freedom adventure... without him.

* * *

Freedom. Some believed that freedom was an object that could be obtained. Some believed that freedom was the greatest gift that could be received. Apparently, this was where freedom lived: but the shrouded figure was not in for any of that. Freedom was what he already possessed and he intended on giving so much more.

After taking possession of a young man's virginity, he had learnt the whereabouts of 'The Orange Lily.' A beautiful flower. A single woman that was rumored to possess the most flexible body of all time. That was what made him addicted. That was why he had come to the small, illegal bar on the outskirts of an unregistered town. The bar was, by no means, attractive on the outside. Pealing paint, decaying pictures, pictures of half-nude furries... but, like every ugly oyster, there hid a dazzling pearl.

The Chozo S. Bar; and no prizes for guessing what the 'S' stood for. The small joint where Furries could stash their pockets with all sorts of illegal drugs and firearms. The place where everyone was masked and no one could condemn another. The only place where humans were contained, yet prized and treated well. Even one, his target, the star of the show. The figure grinned at that last thought. Soon to be the star of his show.

His break didn't obstruct his view, as he stood outside the building, grinning to himself as the music pounded out the doors and onto the streets. He breathed in its presence. No one gave him a suspicious glance. Just the way he liked it. The strip club's lights flashed heavily as he made his way through the crowd. A few flirtatious women walked by, noticing him immediately. He threw them a quick grin; he knew he looked good. He had on a brand new outfit, clean shoes, and made sure the gold on his cane clearly visible. The women paraded around him, rubbing their scantily-clad bodies up and down his until he pulled a couple bills out of his wallet. Satisfied with the generous amount he had given, they walked off. He wasn't all too concerned, though. He only wanted one gorgeous human. The prize and gem of this joint where oversized mechanical birds worked.

He stalked over to the bar where he saw a familiar scarred face. Fancy seeing this guy here... so this is where the boy had had disappeared to. Actually, the figure couldn't call the bartender a boy anymore. Long ago had he seen this frail kid appear in every single newspaper for his disturbing crimes: now he was a lithe, well-dressed bartender, polishing glasses. The figure lowered his mask and flashed a grin at the bluenette.

"O-oh my g-gosh! I-it's you!" he looked as terrified as the day they had met... good times they were. The ringmaster smiled at the fifteen year old and pulled out a small pamphlet. The teenager paled as he handed it over and both men quickly glanced over it.

There, in the center of the page, was an extremely sexy woman. She wore the tightest body suit he had ever seen, he would admit, but that didn't take his attention away from her features. Tanned skin, shimmering blonde hair, enormous breasts and those luscious, luscious legs. "What do you want?" suddenly, a dark glance shifted over the teen's thin face. The figure laughed and slipped his fine, feathered mask back on.

"A scotch... and a chance to talk to the Lily." The bartender pretended not to listen as he served the drinks to other customers. The figure sighed almost mockingly and watched mindless furred and animalistic creatures throw dollar bills aimlessly at their feminine counterparts for lap dances. He frowned at their carelessness. True, he liked sex and he was here to have a good time, but he was always trying to find… a little bit more. The drink was suddenly slammed in the figure's coarsely gloved hands. "My, my. That's no way to treat your potential saviour." That got the bluenette suddenly confused.

"What do you want with her?"

"To get her out of the slums of life. You told me that's what you wanted for her... right? You screamed her name so prettily that I had to know..." the teenager grimaced, looking positively ashamed. He said nothing. With that, the robed figure took his drink and took a seat near the stage, wanting to be close to the show when his lady of interest made her entrance. A handful of strippers were working up there at the time being. They were all rather attractive in furry standards but nothing too special.

Then, the strippers took their place behind the curtain, and the lights dimmed slightly as the announcer came on.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Crowned Jewel of 'The Chozo Stripper Club' – The one, the only... Orange Lily!" _

The audience roared with applause as a single spotlight came on. A figure lowered itself down the thin metal pole, and the audience began to tone down as they became more entranced. The figure smirked as the figure came out of the shadows and smoke. Then her sharp, fine features became distinct.

There she was.

The Orange Lily.

Now with the perfect curves on her hourglass figure, Samantha 'Samus' Aran was a force to be reckoned with. With her moves and her gorgeous charm- she was rumored to even make a dead man live or a gay man straight. While she had perfected her flexibility in prison for all of her life, she was now able to perfect her athletic ability and her intelligence with the Chozos; her new family. Of course, part of her education was the art of seduction. She knew every technique in the book of porn and so much more.

She slowed down her vertical movements, smiled, leaned into the pole and winked. She soon sped up, however. Her body danced up and down the pole she was holding on to. The figure was always astounded at the moves these women could do. He was well endowed himself and remained confident that he could do the same if he had the determination. But he was sure he would be more impressed with her dancing if he wasn't so focused on those legs… those incredible thighs… he hadn't seen a woman, let alone a sexy woman acting so erotic, in such a long time. Not since last night anyway.

Samus was only wearing a very sorry excuse for an orange bra and skirt. She pulled up the hem of her skirt: showing off her light-blue thong labeled 'Varia' (or was it 'Vigara?). Then she rubbed her hands all over her chest, rotating her cleavage. Sweat dripped down her body, made visible by the spotlight.

The figure looked back at the bartender, trying to act professional but still gazing at the beautiful woman. He smirked and looked back at the beautiful flower. He had known, the instant her saw her picture, that she was going home with him that night. As the announcer had stated, she was the 'Crowned Jewel,' and the figure had never been interested in anything that was less than the best. Yes, he always got what he wanted. He had become wealthy because he had wanted it enough. He had gotten several men and women underneath him in bed because he had wanted them enough. He always got what he needed.

She made eye contact with him. He knew it. She had to have been looking at him. Those eyes… those large, blue eyes… they didn't match the rest of her. That body she had screamed woman and sharp eyes that smirked of a huntress. It was then the figure felt something close to sympathy. Strippers... human strippers were the lowest of the low. To obtain the fleeting freedom away from the white ward, they caged themselves up and destroyed their pride and bodies. It was such a tragedy to look past the sensual masks they put up.

Freedom was temporary, and must be taken advantage of while you had the chance. That's what he was planning on. He had complete freedom to take her. She turned away from him and continued her routine. He frowned slightly; she wasn't cooperating. He had the urge to get up on the stage and force her to look at him. He could do that… he had the freedom and, in his mind, the right.

He would step up there and grab hold of her chin, maybe even tight enough to leave a mark, so the world would see just who it was she belonged to. He had the urge, he had the right… but he resisted.

Yes, he could hold back. That was another thing he was free to do. He was a patient man and could wait.

Besides, it would make the night's later events all the more enjoyable…

The Orange Lily stood in the middle of the room, many men crowded around her. She was handed several dollars, phone numbers and gropes. But never once did her smile fade or her charisma waver.

This was what she called life.

Soon the crowd died around her, somewhat, as other strippers approached the stage. She sighed, relieved to be left alone momentarily as she adjust her outfit and counted her night's earn. It was a pretty decent amount, all things concerned. She was still relatively new here but was growing fast in popularity, a fact she wasn't so sure she should be proud of…

Suddenly the stripper felt a hand grab at her shoulder from behind, but she showed minimum surprise – this was typical. It was probably Marthy helping her get away. She turned around and, to her surprise, it was another human.

A rare sight indeed.

He smiled down at her, gently pulling her closer, and pressed his exposed face into her hair. She calmly permitted him to do so. He kept a firm grip on her shoulder as he reached into his wallet and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill. The sight of this didn't truly shock her; she had been impressed by that damn sexy cane.

He slipped the bill down into her bra, and she could tell from his hesitance that he was enjoying the touch. The suitor pulled her close one last time, slightly clutching her chin as he whispered into her ear: "I don't think you're all that you appear… a delicate rose shouldn't smooth its thorns to be a water lily."

He had such a smooth voice. Her eyelids were half-opened as she looked him over. His figure was incredible and he seemed to know what he was doing. Although she did have her suspicions; after all, a man like him was rather rare.

But hell, what was life without a few chances? And she had lived through plenty of those. She leaned up so that her lips were hovering in front of his ear.

"Let me go change…" she whispered. "I'll meet you in the back…"

She had to be careful the way she phrased her sentence. Men didn't often like to be told what to do by a stripper. But really, though, she needed to change. Her dress was far too loud for her to go walking around in public. She was in luck that night. Her new suitor nodded, gently slid his arm off her shoulder (running it across her back as he did so) and headed for the door.

Samus smiled as she watched him leave. This was going to be a fun night. She walked backstage where there was only one shared room for all the workers. She quickly stripped the scanty dress for one... less revealing but never the less sexy. Samus pulled up her hair and stared at the mirror.

Once upon two years ago, she had been disgusted by the thought of tainting her body with other creatures. Now... it was a lifestyle. Her life. She had no choice. The one-night stands were her only moments of pleasure. Her dances were a way for release. All to forget they were still fugitives and viable to getting caught. Marth was her only reason why she didn't completely adapt to this lifestyle. His purity and admiration for her... it forced her not to become just a shell of the strong woman she was.

But her freedom... it was still restrained here.

It had been restrained on her first day at work. After the Chozos had welcomed the two and they had bid farewell to Little Mac, they had been set their tasks. Marth's marks were of no use of the Chozos and they set him to work. Samus' body... was way too perfect. They called her coy and one that looked... easy.

Easy. A word she would come to despise over the next few years. A few drinks and a man thought she was their toy. A few words and she was their baby. A few hundred dollars and the bastards all thought that she was going to roll on the floor and play submissive. Samus was not easy. She was intense. An intense difficulty character.

So why did she always have to play the 'easy' roll of seduced stripper. She had pride still... right?

"Marth, I'm going out."

"Samus! This is a bad idea!" The bartender trotted after the woman as she got out of the bar and walked into the streets where the cool air hit her. Odd, even if Marth protested, never did he chase her out when she was going over to a client's place. Not far from the bar's dingy back door, There stood the masked figure, his back against the car's door as he waited for her to get out.

She was taking what the previously masked man considered to be a long time, but then again, that was always part of the game. Make them wait, make them want it. He didn't care. As long as she went home with him that night, he would be fine. Ignoring Marth as she always did (faster she got out, the less she'd be inflicted by his fan-stopping puppy eyes) Samus sauntered up to him. She now wore a simple black dress that hardly covered anything, much to his delight. He continued to stare at her, smiling, until she returned it. He liked the way her lips curled wickedly. He pulled her into the car and she came in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. The unmasked man happily returned the favor, his hands roaming over her figure, memorizing every curve. Finally he could explore her…

Not caring that they had someone watching his car, his fingers found their way under her skirt. A small moan escaped from her mouth as he caressed her. He pulled her in, pushing her breasts against his torso, trying to feel her heartbeat. A small smile formed across his lips when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra.

She let go of her grip on his neck and moved her hands down. Lower, lower… to his pants…

And then the man did something completely unexpected.

He pushed her off and leaned over, rolling the car window down so Marth could see them both.

"Get in."

One simple command that the boy obeyed. The teenager slid into the car and Samus' brow crossed.

"He's not going to be part of any threesome. Marth, get out." The figure laughed as he started the car and he drove off towards the outskirts of town.

"You are more than a stripper. Don't you see it?" That's why he had become so entranced by her. That's why he had wanted her and no one else that night. Her body told him why she felt she could survive a life like this, but her eyes… they told him there was more to her. "Just as much as your friend is much more then a bartender. Do you really want to waste your life in this ditch?" Samus looked up to see the man focused on the road. Now unmasked, she could see him properly. Dark blue hair, obsidian, determined eyes and skin as coarse as sandpaper. Someone she immediately was allured by but didn't trust.

"I don't see how you would understand..." she muttered.

"Contrary my dear, I understand escaping and being trapped again..." he gave a devil's smile. "You want so much more from the world but you feel this is all you can see because you're human." Samus remained silent while Marth nodded his head. "The world doesn't get people like us. They only see our outer shells, they don't see how we struggle just to get through this life…" Samus wasn't exactly sure why she hadn't demanded for him to stop talking nonsense or for him to stop the car and let her precious Marth out. Maybe it was his silver tongue, giving her the hope that somebody completely understood what she was going through. That pain and hardship she always endured.

"So what? We're human that's the way it is."

"So what if we are? We humans can be so much more if we just stood up. You're a fighter... a born fighter Samantha Aran. I assure you, you could see the world and do so much more for humanity if you join me. Wouldn't you love to get revenge on Ridley? That dragon who so tragically murdered your parents."

"How do you know that?" she wanted to suddenly yell at him; but her voice was whispering. Marth squirmed in the back but the man simply gave a smile.

"I have my sources Samantha,"

"Call me Samus."

"...then call me Ike. I offer you a new job Miss Aran. A job of a lifetime where you can be as free and untied as you want. No walls to keep you back and an open sky. You like the sky..." Samus frowned. This Ike character knew so much it would be just wrong to trust him. But... somewhere she knew... that this was her moment. A genuine, once in a lifetime moment. She couldn't let him think she was 'easy' though.

"I'll think about it," she wanted to beg him to take them away from the cruel limelight and the lust filled people. "What is this job anyway?" In the back, Marth gave a small cough. It seemed that he had forgotten to ask this question of the dark-blue man upon meeting him as well. "Do I have a choice?"

"Yes. You do and it's a fun job. You will be 'The Ribbon Mistress' of the Circo De la Luna as I am the ringmaster. Perhaps you have heard of our little group?" Every human had. It was always hushed up, but rumors had it, that it was a circus of despair and hope. Of courage that exploited fear. Of darkness by good light as well. Samus had to hide her amazing and doubt. She had expected some sort of bulky mafia man to lead such a guerilla group. Not this extremely gorgeous, persuasive talker. Now she was interested. She wanted in.

"Ribbon Mistress... well it's a better name then 'The Orange Lily,' she chuckled. "What does Marth get to do?" she gave a confident smile at the lithe teenager who smiled back but said nothing. The ringmaster gave a frown.

"I came for you... and I'm leaving only with you." Samus' eyes flashed with hatred for a moment as she shoved the man in the arm, somehow not swerving the car in the process. As they came to a stoplight, the man glared, "what?"

"Look, I'm not leaving or going anywhere without my Marth..."

"Samus... I'll be fine..."

"No! Look, I want him in or I'm out. He's as much of my concern as my own. So either find a place for Marth in your circus or let us out and on our way." Such defiance and flare she spoke with. She was perfect for the circus... however the quiet one was who the ringmaster showed concern with. He looked back at the teenager and growled. Samus frowned again and shoved the man. "Back off. No Marth, no deal." Ike couldn't have that. He had been searching for this one woman for a while now...

"You have any skills boy?" he finally asked. The boy looked flustered for a moment as he mumbled some unintelligible things. "Besides babbling like an idiot." The teenager closed his eyes before shaking his head. The man was about to pass judgement on him before Samus spoke up rather loudly.

"He's hilarious! He has a great sense of balance and he tells the best jokes!" Well, she wasn't sure about the joke part, but Marth was certainly skilled with balancing. The boy shyly nodded and the ringmaster's face perked up the tiniest fraction.

"Grab your resignation letters, pack your bags and get ready to run," Ike smirked as he spun the car and 'U-turned' back towards the stripper bar, "Say goodbye if you have to, get your final paycheck and blah blah blah. You two start preparing your acts on Monday." Samus felt something flutter in her chest and, despite herself, she felt a large grin stealing onto her face, "get ready for the show of your life."

And it was then, Samus realised that this was when her real freedom adventure began.

* * *

**And defying gravity was playing several times on repeat. Yeah, there's the backstory of Samus! You likes?****  
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**Review!**


	21. Remember when?

**Circo De la Luna**

**I don't own the originals, I own the Circus versions. It's not hard to understand**

**It seems fillerish, but this is so important to these characters and the plot! Bare with me! Fun starts next chapter.****  
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* * *

The bluenette looked up to see a ruffled-yet-amused strongman walking towards him, "I thought you had the night shift yesterday." The bluenette gave a small shrug as the winged teenager sat next to him. It was a chilly night, but neither of the two friends minded the icy air or the abstract silence of the forest. Pit had long discarded the toga of his outfit and was in his casual black singlet and blue shorts; Marth, on the other-hand, was still wearing his clown outfit. Marth never took his makeup off. The brunette had always wondered what makeup he used- it never seemed to run or smudge. "So, what are you doing up so late Marth?"

"Just collecting my thoughts together, Pit. Roy's talking to Mrs. Mario again so I have a little time to myself," the clown responded politely as he looked at the flickering campfire, "I could ask you the same question though. How are you?"

"Irritated. Sheik's gone off with the ringmaster and Link on some late-night expedition to town. I was going to go weight lifting, to vent, but I can't find the key to the storage van." The strongman received a sympathetic glance.

"Oh, sorry. I don't know where the ringmaster hid them tonight. Why don't you just lift trees and such? I know one-thousand eight hundred tons is child's play for you, but at least it's better than being upset."

"No need to apologise Marth... and I can't. Don't you remember?" He snickered. "Back in Hyrule, two years ago, when I accidentally broke the engine with that tree trunk?" Marth clicked his fingers as it hit him.

"Oh yeah! It took Roy and the ringmaster hours to put that back together," Marth winced as he remembered the carnage from the caravan. Things were very, very ugly... "Master gave you such a flogging..."

"Eh, Shiny knew what he was doing; and who cares? Pain is temporary," white-clad boy grumbled as he rubbed his neck. He was currently bleeding; numerous cuts and bruises were visible all over his body.

"Ah! Pit... let me fix you. When did you get hurt? Don't let it get infected!"

"Marth, don't worry dude..." Before he knew it, Pit was sitting down with Marth digging through a medical kit next to him. "Marth! It's okay! Sheik didn't do anything yet!" Already Marth was rubbing antiseptic on the back of his neck.

"It's not good to do... that thing with everyone," if Pit could see his face, he would have seen a light blush cover over. He snickered.

"What? Have sex? No, we didn't do anything and that's why I'm irritated." He winced as Marth jolted a little and slapped a new bandage on him. "Sheik can fuck like a rabbit in the heat but she's too much into foreplay. She didn't even get up to the kinky stuff that hurt."

"Ah... Pit?"

"I'm serious. S&M, B&D and D&S: she loves it all. I let her put me in chains and cut my neck for an hour and what does she do? Just as she took off my underwear and I'm ready; Shiny barges and she ditches me. I haven't had sex for twenty four hours!"

"A-ah. O-okay?" Marth awkwardly shut the medical kit and slipped it behind the log he sat on, "I'm done."

"Sorry Marth. I had to vent."

"No, it's okay. I should be used to it."

"Have you seen Samus? Maybe she'll be up for a round tonight." Pit knew Marth accepted the casual relationship between the acrobat and him, even though it was still a very awkward topic. The clown sighed.

"It's been a long day. Samus was crying earlier." The brunette looked surprised at this news. Samus Aran crying? The amazing happy-go-lucky acrobat? That was like saying Ringmaster Ike didn't constantly have a stick up his arse.

"Really?"

"Someone enquired about Samus' past... and then called her 'easy.' " Pit winced. He remembered when he called the curvaceous blonde 'easy.' He had narrowly avoided castration that day. "Samus told her everything and then she burst out in tears. I didn't want her to share a room with Zelda tonight so she's sleeping in my bed. She only just went down."

"Wow..." Pit went quiet. He knew Samus was uncomfortable with herself- he often heard her sobbing when she had thought he'd gone to sleep after a hard night of sex- and it pained him to hear her still haunted by the torturous years in the containment center. Awkward silence descended; the only sounds between the two friends were the soft growls from Link's cage and the crackle of the fire. "And Zelda?"

"The Ice Jester said they want to give her a basic medical checkup."

"So Samus is comfortable now?"

"...yeah."

"That's good," the faux angel smiled, "but I always thought you were into chastity, Marth. Taking crying women was always my thing." He winked.

"A-ah! Pit! Not in that way! I-I- just put her on my bed!" flustered Marth.

"And things happen usually after when I put her on my bed," smirked the toga-wearer as he affectionately thought of his six-years-older fuck buddy. "Are you absolutely sure...?"

"I didn't do anything!" Despite the failing fire, the hands over bluenette's face and the clown's thick, white makeup, Pit could definitely see a furious blush on the older teen. "Can we please drop it Pit?" The winged man snickered. Way too easy to tease.

"Chill out, I was just yanking your chain," the brunette kicked back and raised his feet on a stray log. Marth said nothing as he waited for his embarrassment to die down. "So who was the ignorant bastard who called Sam easy?"

"Zelda. Please don't use such crude words Pit." The strongman shrugged again. Swearing was second nature to him.

"Sorry Marth, I don't like her at all. She treats us like she's better than us," a small scowl found its way onto Pit's face, "I mean... Mrs. Mario never asked to be tortured; Link never asked to be chopped up; the Ice Jester never asked to be stoned. I never wanted my wings... or at least... I don't think so…" Despite knowing Pit Icarus for over a year, this was new information to Marth. Pit wasn't born with his wings? Better yet, he didn't know if he was born with or without wings? The clown had always assumed that he was a third-generation anthropomorph with a strong repressive human gene.

"Pit..." The strongman looked at the clown, "Uh... never mind. It's not my place to ask." The strongman chuckled at his senior.

"You want to ask where I got my wings, don't you buddy?" he gave a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it; I don't mind you asking. There's only one problem."

"Eh?" Pit stretched his wings. He fidgeted apologetically.

"The... only thing is... I... can't remember. Anything before I met Roy. I only know my age and last name because it was on a tag. Pit isn't even my real given name- Roy gave it to me after I fell into a ditch." Marth's eyes widened as the angelic-looking boy sighed, "So I'm sorry I can't answer your question Marth. I don't know when I got my wings. I just know I didn't have them before." He shifted again into a more comfortable position.

"Oh... that must be horrible. I'm so sorry, Pit! I shouldn't of asked; it wasn't my place to ask. I didn't kno-" Pit waved him off.

"Dude, it's fine," the strongman laughed, "it doesn't matter what I did or who was in my past. I don't care..." The white-faced bluenette solemnly stared up and stared at the other blue-eyed boy, as if he was challenging what he was saying. It is said that the eyes are windows to the soul: so what could be said if you couldn't see anything? As Marth was trying to read Pit -with his uncanny ability to examine people- Pit couldn't help but notice something. There is nothing there to see. Marth's orbs were like a mirror, his own sadness staring back at himself. The angel coughed. "I have to focus on the here and now. The past doesn't matter."

* * *

_The figure thought it would have never felt that energy again. The life force that was extinguished. One that reminded the figure of happiness and yet... the most sadness one could ever feel."Master... something troubles me."_

_"What's wrong, Luka?" The taller figure shifted as it stopped in its tracks. The short, round master skidded to a halt; deeply concerned about its apprentice. Rarely did they stop during their whole tracking mission to catch up with the strong human signatures; to stop for non-living requirements meant something was serious._

_"There are many auras around here... we're getting close. There are just two essences that trouble me..."_

_"Auras troubling you? That's a first, my student. Tell me about them." The apprentice walked up next to the master. "Are we getting close? Dangerous obstacles ahead? Are there unanticipated forces?" With golden, almost frightened eyes, the Luka stared at the master, as if it couldn't believe what it saw._

_"...One is the aura of... the legendary Commander Mars. Wasn't he executed master? For betrayal? That's what Commander Neptune always told us." The short master shook his head, frowning as hard as he could._

_"The Planet Commanders are filled with secrets, my apprentice. Each of them are more terrible then the next, but the decisions are respected amongst all anthropomorphs. Commander Mars is alive but no one can know. I doubt he's together amongst more humans after the genocide but he may be. Be on your guard Luka. We will stick to the plan and keep moving. Agreed?" A nod, "What is the other aura?"_

_"... No one important." Luka shifted uncomfortably, "...Let's go."_

* * *

**Thank you very much to my **** beta readers. Foxpilot and PitFTW! This story would make even less sense without you two! Thank you! Now for some action... and blood... and death. :D**

**Review!**


	22. Losing the fight

**Circo De la Luna**

**I don't own the originals, I own the Circus versions.  
**

**Now, normal people would be wondering why I took so long to update. Well, this is a long chapter with a lot of detail and sucky fight sequences. Add that to the fact I have math exams in two weeks and you can see you're even lucky you're getting this.**

**Revelations and confusion to our story! You can see the real plot cooking ((Zelda's story shall be a subarc within here)).**

* * *

"Mr. McCloud... the Planetary Commanders sent this." The tired prime minister looked up and gave a small frown as he accepted the documents off the muscular ape. He stared at them for a moment before placing them on his desk.

"Thank you DK..." he mumbled, sounding like an old wolf, "and before you ask, you can take time off this weekend," the ape stared at him in confusion for a moment, "I'm sorry for the loss of your nephew. I know you two were very close."

"Th-thank you sir. I was going to ask you myself but I..."

"I know. Work is taxing but you don't have to be scared of me," he smiled sadly at the ape. The fox stood up and turned his back to look out the window- observing the beautiful night cityscape. It was rumoured he could see all from where he sat: but in reality, he could only see the alluring glow of the metropolisis he had helped to create. It was also rumoured the prime minister was a harsh man. "If you want someone to talk to, you can to me. I loss my beloved wife and my best friend because of those human vermin." Silence.

"Because of that circus?"

"Yes..."

"...I'm sorry for your loses sir."

"Was it the circus for your nephew?" The overgrown ape bowed his head and mumbled. In a second, the Prime Minister beckoned him to sit down in the spacious chair. It took a few minutes before the simian could respond to his superior's question.

"It... was the circus, sir. The senator confirmed this for my sister."

"People say, my methods for humans are too harsh... but it stops incidents like this from happening. Wouldn't you rather go to sleep at night knowing that your offspring are safe, instead of worrying that the humans are going to violate them?"

"Humans..." the Kong muttered bitterly, although more to himself, "are the most self-centered, sadistic and immoral creatures to ever plague the Earth. I never questioned your judgement or your policies sir."

"I never thought you did," sighed the Prime Minister. He flicked open the documents and scanned them over.

"You received a call while you were out as well," the ape said, trying to slot back in to his professional stature, "Commander Venus is coming over to talk to you in an hour." The fox scrunched up his nose and resisted the urge to give an ugly scowl.

There were two things in the world that scared him. The Circo de la Luna and the Planetary Commanders.

Humans were already disgusting creatures. Arrogant. Stupid. Short-tempered. Sickening creatures. They produced nothing and took everything like a parasite then reproduced like the plague. There was nothing but bad connotations when the word 'human' was uttered. Now- putting the Circo de La Luna in the pictures painted a new picture of grotesque horror. There was no honour, love or remorse between that defiling circus- no sympathy would be given from those monsters. Oh, the stories that brewed from behind the circus tent and travelled the wind. It scared him, sometimes, because he knew that macabre circus eventually would come to his door and kill him.

But while the Circus was outside and his literal enemy, the Prime Minister had an internal threat- the Planetary Commanders. These people fought for the same cause as he did- peace and freedom for Anthropomorphic kind- but unlike him, they didn't have to follow rules. They made the rules. Each Commander was powerful, highly intelligent, agile, strong and were adept in a numerous amount of skills. If you were to challenge one in battle... you were screwed. Talking a commander was almost like committing political and social suicide, because if you annoyed them, you could be arrested for treason. The furry dislike these commanders, purely because -while he supposedly had the highest position in politics- they had complete control. Yes, he had to follow orders from his secret superiors. They pulled the strings and he knew it. He didn't even know what they did when they weren't heckling him.

"Sir?" The orange-furred creature looked up, " She'll be here in a few moments. Do you need me to do anything?"

"We need to get on her good side. Please get the good wine and berries- this will be a long night."

* * *

"So, that's why we don't let have Sheik have radishes anymore." Pit snickered as Marth finished his story. He'd have to tell Roy that tasty little tidbit later. Too bad the fire-breather was too sleepy to move, he was missing a great story-time.

"I see, now that makes sense. So just shove a mango in a mouth while she's moaning and she'll be fine in bed?" A nod. "Thanks Marth."

"Anytime. Hey... do you want a drink?"

"Sure." The strongman smiled. Tonight was a nice night. The stars were bright and while grey clouds flickered all around, he wasn't too worried. Everything seemed so ideal in that moment of crystalline silence. Was it the silence? Yes, the laughter of two friends had died now and Pit could feel the warm air and the silence. It should have been perfect.

Yet... somehow...

The clown was about to stand up but the faintest of sounds stopped him. He looked at the strongman and the similar thoughts met both of them.

"Do you hear that?"

"... we're being watched." A simple statement. It was unsure who said it. The two froze, eyes now darting frantically around. They knew it couldn't be anyone they knew. The ringmaster had taken Sheik and Link; Mrs. Mario was meditating; the Ice Jester had taken Zelda; Samus and Roy were sleeping. It should have been only the blue and brunette's noise disturbing the slumbering peace. So why was there a awakening crackle of dead leaves?

"Any suggestions?" the clown whispered. The strongman frowned and strained his ears. He could tell there must have been more then one person. They were coming from behind Marth and they were taking care to be quiet. He frowned. Pit didn't do stealth. He was a strongman and needed to face his opponents head on. "Pit?"

"Run and grab the others. I've got this" With that, the brunette moved his position over so he was looming over the the campfire and Marth. As if to challenge them, he stretched his majestic angel wings and cracked his brutal knuckles. "There's no point hiding! I know you're there! Come out and face me like a man."

Using Pit's wings as a cover, the clown began to run back towards the caravans. The running was a lot louder now. The people must have heard the strongman's challenge. They didn't bother with stealth anymore but he could tell they had split up.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Pit yelled, trying to get them out. In the open where he could get them in one punch. That was the spot. "Come on! Are you two scared of me? I thought you furry bastards were better then that." He heard a very low, quiet growl and he grinned broadly. "Cowards! I knew there was nothing but fur-balls in ya spirits. All of you are just weaklings." Insulting furries was fun. In fact, fun enough for Pit to nearly forget the severity of the situation and laugh.

Luckily, he was still paying enough attention to duck out of the way as a blue figure jumped to the sky and shot a blue sphere at him. Pit accidentally kicked Roy's lone gasoline pot into the fire. The flames quickly erupted into life and illuminated the place in a devil's glow. The brunette teen could see one of the invaders.

It was definitely a Pokemon and while Pit didn't know what species it was, didn't mean he didn't recognise it. It was bipedal, jackal-like and about four feet tall. Pit got into fighters stance while sizing up the competition. The newcomer's forepaws were black and had one white spike on each arm on the upper-side of its wrists. In addition, there was a third spike on it's chest not unsimilar to Mrs. Mario. In fact, it was the Pokemon creature Mrs. Mario was attached to. The strange furry yellow torso, thighs in the shape of blue shorts, standing on its toes rather than on its entire foot and those odd markings on its face. Damn. He couldn't remember what it was; at least he knew how to fight it. Peach said she was weak to fire and fighting...

"_Silence your tongue filthy human!"_ Purplish fire crackled around its hands and it shot another fully charged aura sphere. Pit ducked that one easily as well._ "Do not insult the anthropomorphic society! Eretched scum!"_

"Look who's talking, ya Pokefreak!" he yelled over his shoulder as ran to a boulder the size of a truck. As if the colossal thing didn't weigh more then a feather, he flung the rock at the attacker. Again, the attack was dodged and the aura Pokemon tried to get as close as it could to the strongman using ExtremeSpeed. Pit grinned. He didn't have to hold back now. He raised a fist and gave a mighty punch towards the creature... only to miss completely. Pit gawked as the blue jackal split in two and disappeared. "What the hell?"

"_You don't deserve to live."_ From behind, Pit was kicked in the back and fell forward into the dirt. He winced as he felt the sting of the hit but masked it as a chuckle.

"I think you don't, with your weak, low blows and whatnot. Stupid dog." He pushed himself up and threw another punch but missed. A mighty oak's trunk crumbled as the brunette dodged yet another flying blue ball. That creature could get as many hits as it would like, but Pit knew that one hit could kill the Pokemon. One hit and it would be all over. It was as simple as a game of cat and mouse.

The blue Pokemon decided to play offensive, but charging its attack had given Pit plenty of time to dodge left as a mass of aura came barreling toward him. As Pit tried to get closer, the creature launched another fighting-based attack. This time, the strongman didn't just dodge to the side but rolled diagonally forward. Tactics were never Pit's strong point but that was okay. Neither could see a pattern in the other's movements. All movements were random. Thankfully, Pit had instincts. Unnaturally strong instincts that helped him keep balanced and get closer to the moving beast.

Pit reared his hand back and swung an earth shaking punch when the beast feinted to the right. The winged-male missed as the Pokemon quickly rolled diagonally to the left, got to its feet and forced its glowing palms against the strongman's back. Pit screamed as the life energy began searing his flesh, creating disgusting bubbling blisters on his back. The angel fell forward and moaned as the creature raised its leg to do an axe kick. Resisting the pain, the brunette roared and extended his wings, successfully smashing the Pokemon back.

"Furry cock."

_"Insolent human."_ Then, it spoke using its mouth rather then telepathically, "LUCARIO!"

Pit knew from experience that if Pokemon used their native language, rather then English, shit would go down.

The blue-furred beast sent three blasts of aura in his direction, larger then zorb balls. There was nowhere Pit could dodge. He thought frantically and grinned. It was clear that it though that the Pokemon thought human's feathers were just for show.

He jumped.

The Pokemon's golden eyes followed the strongman as he jumped right over the enormous aura wave and extended his wings. He grabbed a large branch from nearby and began threw it at the creature. If beast hadn't spent its whole life training and fighting, it would have been impossible to avoid the hurtling hunk of wood. Pit perched himself on a tree branch and lowered his wings, trying to get a lock on the fighting Pokemon. Suddenly, he heard a groan from below him. Then a terrifying crack and the tree began to fall backwards.

"Damn it," he groaned. He lost his height advantage. Pit stretched his wings again and began soaring away from the dead trunk. His wings were strong, but it ached his body and strained his brain if he flew for too long. He needed his strength to fight this crafty foe. By now, he could tell the Lucario was definitely a top-notch assassin, but he could tell it was also getting pissed off. His face gave a smile as his sandals hit the dirt. He wasn't an easy target.

From the other side of the campfire, the two stared at each other for a split second... but the expressions had switched. Now it was the Pokemon who seemed somewhat smug and Pit's obviously incredulous. He wasn't a thinker, but he had to do something. The tugging of the creature's lips was discomforting. Then he charged. By now, he was at such close range that he thought the Lucario couldn't defend itself quickly enough. He was sadly mistaken as it ducked and administered a clean slash with its metal spikes, that went straight up from his elbow to his shoulder, slicing open everything in between.

His blood oozed out... but the Lucario's eyes widened. It wasn't new to the angel that his blood was different. It was a blackish ooze that smelled vile and looked simply ghastly (and it had a tendency to turn Sheik on). The Pokemon stared at Pit's left ear and suddenly gave a yell. Was someone near the battlefield? 

_"No wonder you're so strong... we've found you."_

"Oh, thank you. I know I'm loved. Autographs will be given in an hour," Now the strongman had no idea what the creature was talking about, and frankly he didn't care. The man flung another punch, only retreating when a barrage of quick aura balls came his way. Now the Lucario was being a lot more direct with its attacks. It was forcing him to stay grounded and walk in one direction. Wait. Why was the Pokemon pushing him towards the bushes?

A trap?

Suddenly, Pit heard a loud vacuum sound and whipped around. The air was trying to drag him back into a large black abyss behind him. Before the strongman could even try attempt to get away, he was dragged back and sealed in. Before the strongman could even register what had happened, Pit was thrown out as quickly as he was sucked in. He shook his head and turned around. A small figure, coated in mud, had jumped over the strongman and turned to face him. The Lucario got into fighter's stance next to the newcomer.

"Is that a furry or a dessert topping?" taunted Pit as he rubbed his bloody arm. It was some brown marshmallow; cruel blue eyes were the only things that destroyed its cute, round appearance. The thing that concerned him was the presence of a small wreath on its head and tiny cupid wings- miniature versions of his own defining features.

_"Master, we take this one down?"_

"Yes Luka, but don't kill him. We found someone who has been very lost." Pit threw a convenient boulder next to him and the Lucario, again, jumped out of the way. The small puffball didn't but Pit's maniacal grin turned to horror as the boulder was shattered by a bunch of punches. "Is that all Mr. Icarus?"

"You know my name." A statement. Pit growled through his teeth in frustration, lunged forward and attempted to kick the smirking puffball right in the side. However, he was surprised when the puffball used his velocity against him, roughly grabbed his foot and spun the strongman around twice before letting go. As Pit flew back, he turned in the air and kicked off of a nearby tree just a moment before an aura sphere smashed the thick bark. "Taste fist fucktard," Pit cursed as his fist made contact with the side of his opponent's face.

Finally. Time to end this nonsense.

Giving an unnatural punch, his fist collided with the puffball's face again, sending it flying. He grinned. It would be dead now.

It wasn't.

It seemed like the wreath gave the puffball the ability to not only have a portion of his strength as well as his endurance. Copying his abilities. The creature was injured and bruised... but still alive. For a moment, Pit was unsure what to do- he was so used to delivering One-hit-KOs.

"Not bad, halfling." Halfling?

"I'm human, you bastard! ARGH!" Pit yelled as he felt a fully charged aura sphere surge into his back. He yelled as the Lucario came from behind and twisted one of his sensitive wings. He gave a loud yell and the creature knew it had found his Achilles' heel. In the split second that his guard was down, the puffball got up and dug his knee up into Pit's stomach as the Lucario held his weak feathers. Not missing a beat, the small creature lunged at the circus man, fully prepared to beat the shit out of his face.

But the fists never came and the wings were let go. Pit turned around in confusion to see the both his attackers gone.

Why did they surrender? Did they give up? Was it a trick? No, he was free now.

And now he was burning.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF... ROY!" Pit screamed. So THAT's what they ran from. Pit was screaming in agony but suddenly, his arms lost mobility as they were suddenly wrapped up in thick fireproof silk. The flames were quickly smothered.

"Sorry bro! Calvary had arrived!" the pyro yelled as he blew another stream of fire. The Pokemon and puffball dodged again and Roy picked up another stick and lit it up. He gave a small grin as the sensual acrobat unraveled him and pecked his cheek.

"So you wanna take these furry bastards one by one? Dibs taking the ugly marshmallow." To retort, the "ugly marshmallow" picked up a nearby tree and threw it at the pyro before sending a flying hook at him. The red-head ducked and pulled out his metal rod 'n' hammer to narrowly reflect the weapon. "Bring it tiny!"

"I got the Lucario. Leave him to me. You can go help Roy." Pit nodded and linked his fingers together. Grinning, Samus ran towards the angel and was hoisted up into the night sky. The Lucario tried to fire its aura at the woman but she gave a backflip in mid-air and gave a hard kick to the Pokemon's head.

"So you did find humans, but why do you fight with them?" the puffball sneered as it cartwheeled away from Roy's fire and sent a cutting wave towards Pit. "You're not human at all. What kind of pathetic human has wings and power like yours?" The strongman froze. The fire-breather scowled.

"Hey! He's a Superman! Don't be mean to him, meanie!" the red-head yelled as he clumsily ran towards the puffball. The hunter flipped through his legs and would have given the supposed-idiot a bone-shattering punch to the head if not for a precisely timed hammer slam. The fighter crashed into the ground and the creature's wreath and wings disappeared in a gold star. Roy smirked as he flipped his hammer. "That's for messing with my bro!"

"Why is he your brother? Your blood is as different as day and night. He is more like us then you." Roy flew back as he was smashed in the gut by a wooden hammer. The metal hammer was relinquished from Roy's grasp and snatched up by the newcomer. The small creature was a lot faster then he looked. "When that hybrid is fixed, he will turn on you." The red-head was grabbed by the neck and thrown on the ground.

"No he..." Roy was smashed in the face.

"He doesn't even know what he's doing here..."

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!" Pit finally yelled, gritting his teeth, trying to curb his anger.

"Do you? You've been running for so long, I think you've forgotten everything." Okay, forget trying to calm down. Roy was getting hurt. It was time to fight.

"Damn marshmallows aren't supposed to have a mouth! Shut up!" the brunette screamed as he slammed the ground and sent a shock wave at the poyonesian. Earth was ripped upwards and both the attacker and the fire-breather were sent sky-rocketing.

"PIT!" Roy yelled. The brunette snapped his head up and his eyes bulged as he released he had metaphorically sent his bro to orbit.

"I'm coming!" The strongman flew up and outstretched his arms to catch the ground-bound redhead. It seemed like he was about to reach him; until a sudden pressure between his wings made him plummet down. It was their foe. He had transformed into a massive weight and had applied himself on a pressure point that Pit didn't even know he had. The angelic-looking teen struggled as best as he could.

"Pit!" Then Roy's yell was silenced. Nothing could be heard over the rushing wind now but Pit couldn't react. He was reaching the ground faster now. He couldn't save Roy or himself. There was only one thing to do: not give up, but still be practical and ready for the inevitable. Pit closed his eyes and braced himself for impact.

"PIT! ROY!" screamed Samus, watching the massive dust cloud form as the weighted angel hit the ground at an ungodly speed. The blonde acrobat made an attempt to run towards them, but a certain blue Pokemon spread its arms out and growled. "I don't have time for you furry, get out of the way before things get ugly."

"_Speak for yourself human,_" came the bark back as it shot a barrage of aura. Samus double jumped into the air and backflipped over the Lucario. She grinned as the Pokemon spun slowly to face her and gave a hard kick. It didn't falter. In fact, the attack hurt her more then it hurt the Lucario. The acrobat winced as her foot began to throb. The half-steel creature grinned and sent a wave of energy at her which she only narrowly dodged. She couldn't hit the metal dog, so what could she do now? "_Die!"_ a swirling force palm was about to hit her but...

"Leave my children alone!" shouted a voice. The Lucario was thrown back by a super-effective move and slammed into a tree. Samus awkwardly balanced herself up, off her injured foot, and looked around. "You okay Samus?"

"Yes ma'am. I'll be okay... I think I broke a few toenails. That's all."

"Lucario body plates have similar properties to titanium. Next time, don't kick them. Relax, I got this. Go check on Roy and Pit." The diva turned and faced to where the hunter was pulling itself out of the tree trunk and jumped into a fighter's stance. "I give you a chance to run away. Leave now."

"In your dreams... Mum?" the Lucario stopped for a minute. The Pokemon gawked and stared at the blonde.

Tears could be seen in the unfeeling golden eyes. Why did it call her its mother? It stumbled a little and the blonde couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor Pokemon. For a second her instincts urged her to open her arms and embrace the creature- but all she did was just stand there, watching.

Suddenly, giving a blood-curdling howl of anguish, the Pokemon lunged at the woman. Peach flipped out of the way and shot out a weak aura sphere- easily broken by the newcomer.

_"OUT OF MY WAY!_" A swipe of Peach's paws and they began to duel. The blonde slashed and twirled in a rhythmic way, and the Lucario attacked faster, his face curling into snarl. Jets of light flew from both creatures, the earth around the two becoming hot and cracked; both Lucario were fighting to kill.

"No more little miss sunshine." Roy was okay. He had fallen into a tree and nothing was broken. Right now, he was fighting the second enemy as Pit scrambled back on his feet. Samus knew that she had to help turn the tides of the battle and the only moves that would be appropriate would be to get close and strangle the damn dog. However, the elite hunter saw the leaping woman and shot a fully charged aura sphere with deadly accuracy.

"Samus!" Pit yelled. The strongman made an effort to run to his senior's side, only to dodge a cutter from the rounded character. The brunette whipped around and threw another punch at the enemy, irritated when he missed and was kicked in the face. It was two-on-four battle and they were losing. Samus had fallen down midair and hit the ground face first; blood trickled down the side of her face. For a second, she looked like she was going to get up and lunge again, but when the Lucario shot a wave of aura at her, she passed out. Satisfied, the Pokemon turned to the Lucario diva, scrambling to her feet.

The Lucario loomed over the woman, revenge tainting its every movement. The diva tried to stand up, only to be pushed into the ground by its foot to the side old woman's face. It gave a low growl as it spoke to her telepathically.

"_Your husband killed my mother for your dirty body, human,"_ it almost hissed, _"Your friends took her away from me when I was a pup! For you! Violation of the dead! Monsters! All of you humans are sick monsters! He cut her limbs so you could have life! You are not worthy to decide who lives or dies, you old hag!_" Peach was crying now as the Pokemon shoved her face into the dirt. It kicked her again and again. Then it pulled her up by her hair and made Peach stare at him. The Lucario seemed to smile now, eyes greedily drinking the red, staining the pink dress._ "I will show mercy by giving you the swift death he gave her... but your body will be treated as..."_ Peach was suddenly let go as a single sound pierced the air.

A sickening crunch.

"You'll pay for hurting them." The Lucario roared as it was hit again. Metal poles usually didn't even scratch him, but this one was glowing red hot- denting the metallic skin of the Pokemon in a combination of force and heat. Peach watched as the Pokemon slowly fell. She heard the thud of its skull on the floor and felt sharp jolt. The aura was letting her unwilling mind listen to the creature's pain.

Crack!

Peach closed her eyes in unison to the Pokemon's.

Crunch!

Curdling screams of anguish.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Peach opened her eyes to see a foot come from the human to the enemy. Why was she feeling sorry? Was she disgusted with the sight? Did she feel any attachment to the body's child? Was this self-defense anymore?

Squelch!

Peach could see the corners of the blunette's mouth curve into a grin. The Pokemon tried to roll away from the pain- away from the figure- but the movements were too slow and the hot bar kept swinging and swinging.

There was so much blood. On the ground, on her dress, on his face... everywhere. The creature was now defenseless and crying, squealing out for indignant mercy but the ice-cold eyes didn't even waver. The humane thing to do was to stop and let the creature die quickly. Not to drag out the beating. Yet... it kept going. Only for his enjoyment. Peach could barely recognise the man looming over both of them. This human... this thing craved the nauseating scent of blood and the thick feel of it. The sound of the screeches and snapping of bones... the taste as the makeup, sweat and blood rolled into his mouth.

"Furry bastard. I'm going to silence you now..." the figure raised the metal bar again and gave another smile, "any last words?" How could he sound so cold yet... so excited? Was this the hidden aura she had always sensed?

"Y-yes..." Luka was dying now. It could barely move and was struggling to even lift its head as one final stand, "you... go to hell-"

The furry was silenced.

Shadows were hiding his face and still Peach could barely bring herself to stand. She wanted to vomit. The diva had seen Link tear, Ike kill and Sheik hack into bodies for most of her life... but this... this was different.

It didn't have that 'human' essence of killing... more of... an anthropomorph.

"You blasphemous vermin!" The puffball had narrowly dodged a silken whip from the acrobat, "Vilest of humans! Did you enjoy that murder as you did the others Commander Mars? Poyo!"

Marth froze.

"C-commander Mars?" The furry knew him?

His smile faded away, replaced with a mortified expression. He stared his bloody gloves and at what he had just done.

He did it again. His promise to her...

"No... no... NO!" Marth screamed, staring unbelievingly at the carcass.

The puffball sent a cutting wave at the now motionless clown and Peach only just managed to scramble to her feet to push the bluenette away. There was no time to let that death sink in... she had to save her children.

The odds were supposedly in their favour... but the Lucario-woman highly doubted that Marth was in any condition to fight. So four on one... maybe three if they needed to keep the traumatised man off the battlefield.

"N-no... not... not again," Marth trembled. Tears began to cascade down his face as the clown fell to his knees. "I-I didn't mean to kill it. I'm not-" he mumbled.

"Face atonement, you disgrace!" The puffball ran up to deal a deadly blow on the bluenette; but before he could touch a hair on his head, the acrobat came almost out of nowhere and kicked the puffball square in the face. "You'll pay for that!"

"Someone! Grab Marth!" Samus yelled as she cracked her silk like a whip and struck the small predator. "Find Shiny and haul butt out of here! We got this punk. Someone strong to support him!"

"No one hurts my friends! Especially not some retarded pink freak!" Pit threw a new boulder at the poyonesian, who only narrowly dodged. Peach couldn't find it in herself to stay with Marth. She could never be disgusted or angry with her children but... she was too scared to stay with him alone.

"Mrs. Mario, if you wanna fight... you can. I got him," the guilt-ladened blonde looked at the fire-breather, "go."

"Thank you..."

"Go! We'll be fine! Now!" Samus yelled again, dodging a throwing-star. The diva prepared an aura sphere and ran into the evenly-waged battle while the pyro over to pick up his sobbing, usually-saccharine friend.

"...Marth? Talk to me... come on. Let me see your face. We have to get out of here." In any other circumstances, the clown would have refused his help and the need to cause him any trouble. This was the only time Marth had ever let the pyro pick him up. And see his bare face. Even through the destructive circumstances, Roy had never seen such a horrendous sight.

Scars. That's all he could see. From the flames, Roy could see that his best friend scarcely looked the same as before. Most of the clown's thick makeup had been streaked off by his sweat and tears- revealing his sunken face. Infected cuts, large bruises, thin hacks in his skin; all that had been hidden by the painted mask was revealed. The red-head almost vomited. If the dark shadows of the clown's face didn't make him look like some homicidal maniac, then the blood of the Lucario, that had splattered his face, did.

"M-Marth? Come on Marth, we better go." It was the false expression that made him queasy. Now Roy knew why Marth had always placed so much attention on makeup around his lips. Roy gritted his teeth as he picked his friend up onto his feet.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"Marth. It's going to be okay. Pit, Mrs. M and Samus have this in the bag. It's okay." He proved it by indicating the said acrobat, wrapping her silk around the tiny creature, and strongman -who had been thrown back but seemed alright. "Let's go..."

"I shouldn't... I deserve to die. I'm a traitor. I'm a horrible, horrible traitor." For all his strength, Roy was tempted to pick up Marth onto his back and get them out of the furious war zone as soon as he could, but he couldn't. He doubted Marth would even let him- he was now trying to tear his face off. Roy grabbed Marth's wrists.

"Hey, hey! Marth! Stop! Everything's okay. Stop it!" His makeup was sliding off and Marth began to hold back choked sobs. Roy grabbed the bluenette pulled him aside to just avoid a rogue gun shot. Things were getting ugly. "We got to go."

"I can't! I should die... I'm a monster. Ugly. Cruel. Kill me. I'm so sorry... I'm worse then an anthromorph..."

"Marth! Come on! You have to stop this!" Roy yelled as he pulled him away from a large, flying boulder. "You're not any of that!" Then Marth looked up.

And Roy could see his true face. In addition to his wounds, some monster had slashed Marth's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears- as if a blade had been put in his mouth and pulled out on both sides. The clown had crudely sewn together his cheeks to hide it but without the makeup, the gashes were clearly visible. Marth may have seemed to be a cute clown on the outside- but he was just a broken commander. He had been from the start and the facade was breaking down now. It sickened Roy to no end.

"Let's go..." he muttered, helping Marth out of the fight.

Who and how someone could hurt anyone like that?

Pit groaned as he was shot in the stomach. Black ooze covered the ground as he slumped down against a tree, alive but hurt. The battle looked hopeless. Mrs. Mario was unconscious because the creature had swallowed Roy and hit her with a flaming punch and Marth and Roy were out of the battle. Samus was thrown on the floor, the stranger looming over her, a blade raised to slice her head off. "And now you murderers will die. You never stood a chance against the Antromorphic armada. Filthy humans."

And here, Samus thought it was the end. She struggled to get up, not willing to lose the fight but knowing on her own, it was useless.

**THUNK.**

The acrobat looked up, when no pain greeted her to see a familiar black boot. She was too weak to even shoot a smile at the unamused bluenette.

"Yo." she croaked, relief washing through her.

Ringmaster Ike raised his eyebrow, as he held the knocked-out, bound and gagged assassin in his hand. Figures. He took the cocky moron from behind.

"I go out for two hours to do a few- just a few- short and insignificant errands; and what do I find? A dead body, the camp in flames and a traumatised clown. You bastards better have a good explanation for this," he sighed as he picked up the acrobat and began to take everyone back to their camp.

* * *

**A very lazy ending... i know. It has significance you know. You've seen the circus members and how they fight before in the eariler chapters, but I wanted to emphasise that extra level RI is on AND how hard it would be to verse these kinds of assassains. The furries are getting serious now. **

**Feel free to correct me anywhere or ask my questions in a form of a review!**

**Now to study... adieu!**

**Review!  
**


	23. Aftermath

Share

**Circo De la Luna**

**I don't own the originals, I own the Circus versions.**

**... I love this story so much... but is anyone getting bored? Opinions? Critiques?**

**We get badassery next chapter. Endure this drama for now.**

* * *

Lion Link growled as he drummed his fingers against the leather seat. He would have rather stayed in his master's caravan but Ike wanted to talk to Zelda alone. So here he was, a grumpy lion with an infuriated knife-thrower.

The caravan screeched as Sheik turned a sharp corner. Link snarled as he slid to the left, trying to ignore the continuous rant of the psychopath.

"She does NO work and just sits there scorning us. Those 'magic' tricks of hers are used only to cause us anguish! If Shiny wasn't such a stubborn jackass, I would have skewered that devil's spawn! Self-centered, pig-headed, good-for-nothing virgin whore!"

"'Virgin' andz 'whore' cancel other out." Sheik shot him a nasty glare before turning suddenly, missing another tree. After she regained control, she spat at Link who was still trying to turn a deaf ear.

"At least I'm not an arrogant, self-serving malcontent ego-challenged airhead." Link didn't even realise how extensive Sheik's vocabulary was. "Heh. I hate that pig- headed, coal-hearted devilish bitch."

"Zelda kind. Stop insulting. Could have changez since you saw herz at seven. Not same!" Link suddenly roared at the knife-thrower, "You might not remember right."

"My. Memory. Is. Fine." The sadist hissed, banging her hand against the steering wheel.

"Give chance! No do wrong!" Link suddenly yelled despite himself. Sheik screamed as loudly as she could and slapped Link. If she wasn't driving, Link would have hit her back and maybe clawed out her eyeball.

"GIVE HER A CHANCE? DOES NOTHING WRONG?" she asked hysterically, "Before SHE came along, everything was fine! Look at us! Look at our family! Half of us are injured! We were attacked and that has never happened before! She must be a traitor! Tearing us apart! Look! Now you and I are fighting! What happened to us being fuck buddies?" Sheik screamed as she pressed the horn of the caravan, making a loud shriek as she did so. "Everything was fine before SHE came along! Why the hell are you defending her? She hates you almost as much as she hates me! That stupid dumb-shit woman is a useless bitch! She should be under lock and key like that Star Warrior!"

"You. Dangerouz sociopath with longz history violence," growled Link, holding back his anger as best as he could, for driving safety, "you prisoner."

"BELIEVE ME! SHE IS EVIL!" Sheik yelled again, foot slamming on the accelerator, dangerously making the monster they rode roar, "Where was Zelda when those hunters came? Well she certainly wasn't with us doing our mission and she certainly wasn't the one getting her arse kicked! She was away from the violence!"

"Shut up. You hatez her but she-"

"She hates you."

"She mayz changed," snarled Link back.

"Why do you defend her?" Link was about to speak but no words came out. He blinked dumbly as the hot, sadistic fiend continued driving. "I asked you a question ya dumb cat; why do you defend her? She's done absolutely nothing for you. I wasn't lying when I said she hated you almost as much as she hated me."

Why did he want to defend her?

Why did he want to protect her unconditionally? He only killed creatures; she only hurt him. Link didn't care for the circus mission like the ringmaster did- he didn't remember this feeling. Why was it Zelda that he wanted to care about? A woman that he just met? It wasn't healthy for anyone to be close to her. His body started to hurt all over; little imps tearing apart the organs in his body. It was ripping him alive. What was this feeling he felt?

Did it really matter? Why would she want to protect him in the same way he wanted? Why did he want her to want him? He couldn't even think of a logical explanation for his thoughts. He couldn't identify his feelings. She probably hated him for his body. What was he? He wasn't like her. He wasn't even a full human. He was a Hylian mixed with a lion.

Almost like a furry.

_"Link, you're human. You think and speak... and you feel. You fight because you want her so much. You have a soul Link... and that's all that really matters."_ The previous words of his ringmaster suddenly bellowed through his ears. The memory of that night where he cried flashed before him. Link gave out a small cough.

The pain he felt, proved to him... that he was human, with a heart.

He knew what this feeling was.

"Oy! Pay attention when I'm talking to you asshole." Link snarled, snapping out of his thoughts and turned to the knife-thrower. "Why the hell do you protect her?

"One with love, only for Zelda... all want..." Sheik blinked for a moment before placing a hand behind her ear.

"What? What was that? You speak softly moron." She turned back and locked orbs with the blonde. Link stared directly into Sheik's chaos red eyes and silence came between them. A solemn black vow. Then, suddenly, Link roared as loudly as he could- voice at full-throttle against the sister of his desires.

"I love her! I love Zelda!"

She froze. The caravan shrieked and Link had to tug the steering-wheel to keep them from bashing into a tree. For a moment, there was nothing but the undesirable ring of silence. Silence was always present, making the tension thicker and thicker like a baker whipping cream. The lion sat there, staring at Sheik until she recovered her senses. It seemed the impact of Link's two sentences finally burrowed their way through her skull. She screamed at the top of her lungs before unholy laughter spilt down from her lips.

"You idiot! You're a moron!" she roared out, in a type of sick desperation, "You don't know love! This is Zelda! Zelda we're talking about kitten! She has done nothing! She has done nothing to deserve anyone's love except be a complete bitch! You don't know... no... We don't know love. You don't know; I don't know and especially she doesn't know love! All we... all we know is pain, longing, lust and maybe a good whipping." Link dug his nails into the seat, "Don't go fucking with other people's sisters just because you're irritable."

"You bitch!"

"You know, arguing with you is like arguing with a pig. No matter how much you argue, it's still full of shit and up to its ears in filth." Link growled. "I may have burned her face, but she already scarred her own insides. She's ugly. I'm just making it more well-known." The blondes both remained silent for a while, the tension now was thick as whale fat.

"You... bitter..." croaked the lion, his throat soar from talking, indicating the conversation was over, "Let go?"

"Never, as long as I live."

* * *

Pit never liked his hands.

They were too soft for a man like him. He'd be punching rocks, breaking bones and lifting weights all day, but no matter how many bruises and scars he should have had, his skin remained smooth and clean.

Like his memory; until recently.

Lying down in his dull, grey room, Pit felt them over and over again in the curious pattern he always did. His index finger circling his palm, coming to the top of his fingertips before sliding back down. Sometimes, it made him smile at how feminine and sensitive the hands were; today he just stared at his puny hands, no expression on his face.

The fight had made him confused. How did those furries know his name? Why were they interested with him? He tossed under the thin covers and brought his hand to his neck. After picking off a small part of his scab, he looked at his grotesque blood- black as ink. He was very different from most humans. He didn't realise it, being surrounded by fellow humans and freaks, but he was different. Maybe before he wasn't. Pit tried with all his might to call upon his memories...

He couldn't remember.

"How are you feeling?" Pit stopped and slowly looked over his shoulder. At his doorway, a tired blonde was holding on to the railing- to make sure she didn't fall out of the moving automobile- looking on.

"Can I come in? It's getting chilly." After a slight nod in confirmation, Samus hopped inside and shut the door. "I would've thought Roy would be fretting over your bedside. Where is that idiot anyway?"

Silence held for a while before Pit rolled onto his left side, properly looking at the heavily bandaged, but still smirking, blonde from his grubby bed.

"He's driving." Samus' eyes widened as she limped over and sat down on a nearby stool, almost falling over when the caravan went over a hump.

"That would explain the crappy driving, couldn't have master chosen someone with a brain? The Zelda chick?" The two shared tired laughter. Zelda wasn't allowed to drive because she didn't know how to work the 'manual' mobiles; Roy, despite his inexperience and clumsiness, knew enough to take all three engines out and put them back together.

Samus sighed. The circus had been through a lot during the last twenty-four hours. After Ringmaster Ike had dragged them back to camp, Sheik, Roy and him all took the caravans and drove back to Onett before camping out in a dumpster to hide from any tracking signals the assassins may have sent out.

Actually, now that Samus thought about it, their abrasive ringmaster did a lot for them. With Peach and Marth unable to help, he had single-handedly treated his team's injuries before, with some help from Roy, doing a sweep of the entire circus mobiles; to check if the caravans were 'bugged'. Without taking a moment's break, he managed to find a way how the Ice Jester could withhold their prisoner safely before grabbing Roy and Sheik, forcing the two to drive the other two lines of cars. Now they were on their way to a location he didn't disclose.

"Where have you been?" Pit suddenly asked. The blonde shrugged.

"Trying to practice getting around without putting too much stress on my arm," she showed the battered left arm, "I've been hopping from trailer to trailer as practice while we've been driving. It actually occurred to me that was dangerous."

"Oh..." Pit didn't smile, he just looked out the window. Samus stared before climbing on the single bed, wrapping her arms around him and leaning on his chest.

"What's wrong kid?" she asked, "usually you're half-way having me undressed. Are you okay?" Pit said nothing but gave a small look at the busty blonde. Peace descended on them for a few minutes as they listened to the melody of the rushing world. Pit's gentle hands caressed the older woman's gracious body. Though today was different. Instead of admiring her every sensual curve, as he always did, he took the time to acknowledge how warm and comforting she felt. How nice it was to be loved.

Absent-mindedly, Pit brushed against her hefty cleavage, wanting to get closer. With that, Samus took her usual cue and began to kiss his upper torso, each kiss ascending higher up the strongman's body. However, before she could get to his neck, Pit pulled her off gently. He shook his head and met orbs with her.

"How's Marth? Is he okay?" Samus, initially surprised at his concern and rejection of his advances, frowned with curiosity as she looked over to the strongman. Pit shook his head and tried to repeat the question. "Have you seen him since..."

Samus got off him as quickly as she got on and they sat up facing each other.

Now, an awkward silence descended. The atmosphere was as thick as whale fat.

"Samus?"

"He's in his room," came the bleak voice, "I haven't seen him since he went crazy. He's not letting anyone see him." Samus sighed as she sat on the bed, "I knew all this time he was suppressing something... but I didn't know what. I don't even know what the term 'Planetary Commander means."

"I don't... but... it seems familiar," the acrobat couldn't fantom what the angel was saying at first. "I remember that it's a group of very important people..." Samus' eyes widened in realisation.

"You're getting your memory back?"

"Not really. I just... just it... it isn't important," Pit shook away the concerned hand of the acrobat, "I was going to say these Planetary Commanders seem important. Marth knows about these Furries and we should ask him as soon as we can."

"Don't." Samus' voice dropped. "You don't have to go open old wounds. If Marth wants to forget his past, let him."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"Marth has..."

"Why would he want to do that?" Pit didn't realise he had raised his voice, "Why would you want to forget that? Your past makes up who you are!"

"No, it doesn't!" snapped Samus, not in her usual playful tone, "Just because I worked in a stripper bar, doesn't mean I'm easy! Pit, be thankful you don't have to remember whatever shit you've been through. Stop acting like a child."

"Well I can't remember what I acted like as a child! You don't understand what it's like! To not know who you are! Where you come from! What if I'm some furry? Some freak?" Pit yelled at her. Samus glared at the strongman strongly, although she looked more calm and understanding, she was still firm with her opinion. "I want to be sure of something in my life! I don't care if it was good or bad because I just want to learn! Who in their right mind would give up every memory of their childhood?"

"I'd gladly give up the memories of my past so they'd stop haunting me," Samus stated in a calm voice, "I wouldn't have Ridley's face in my nightmares, my parents deaths in my mind, the impression that being a prostitute had on me and especially; any recollection of the torture I went through in the HCW." Pit's eyes widened. He had forgotten that both Marth and Samus had lived in one of the most terrifying places in the whole land. He bit his tongue and sat on his bed in defeat, a bitter taste rising in his mouth.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered, "I... just..."

"I'm going to see if Marth will let me in," Samus stood up and headed to the door, "You need to occupy your thoughts Pit... the past is past and no point wasting your future worrying about it." The blonde glanced around the room at the sombre walls, "In a colour wheel... I always sympathized with grey." Pit raised an eyebrow. "Grey is a sad colour, it doesn't know if it wants to be black or white... I think one of these days it should decide." Samus sighed as she opened the door, "It's a hell of a depressing colour though... you should repaint your room."

* * *

"Mrs. Mario, do you really want to see the prisoner?" The lucario gave a simple nod as she looked at the caravan's large brass door. Her eyes averted away from the contact Nana gave, touching her hand gently.

"He's dangerous. Don't fall for anything he might tell you. He'll swallow you whole." Peach acknowledged the warning and allowed Popo to open the door for her. "I hope you get what you're looking for Lady Peach."

"I will... thank you both," she said as she adjusted the hood of her cloak and walked inside the musky caravan. There were no windows, and Peach didn't dare switch on the lights, so she navigated her way through the dark void by using the power of the aura. Her padded, soundless feet stepped over numerous hand-made torture weapons and death traps until she was at the end of the long lightless container.

"What do you want with me woman?" Although she could see he was a fair distance away, Peach could swear she could hear the emotionless creature's high voice in her ears; his frigid, rancid breath down her neck. The creature could not see or hear her, but was already aware that the old woman was there.

The blonde said nothing for a moment; pulling up a stool (used to observe the torture sequences). She took in the sight of the elaborate trap the ringmaster had laid to contain the pink puffball; the diva knew that Ike was a paranoid man so whatever she saw was only a small part of the failsafe Ike placed. The Star Warrior's arms and legs were spread wide apart attached to a thick, metal cord which was used to sew his eyes shut. With a bit of disgust, Peach realised that Ike had tied the cords in such a way, that if the creature moved, his eyelids and a good chunk of flesh would be ripped out. In addition to that trap, the creature was completely retained by a spiked cage- not even a rat could slip through the bars.

Caution had been taken. Truly this was a dangerous person.

"Well? What do you want with me?"

However, she didn't care. She had to know.

"Tell me... about my son."

* * *

**So... which arc/character do you want to see?**

**Review and love me?**


	24. Monster behind the glass

**Circo de la Luna**

**Still no ownership.  
**

**Hey guys! Merry early Christmas! Now, I know I did promise MARTH'S BACKSTORY but unfortunately I started writing Link's backstory halfway through and neither one is done. So to compensate, here's a little chapter to satisfy you greedy fiends! Remember, get people to read the story. More reviewers help me get my prioreties straight!**

**Wow... I remember giving you all Peach's backstory for Christmas last year... time flies so fast!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"I dare you to tell her the truth. Tell her about the real person behind the mask."_

The rotten flesh fell from his jaw into his hands and he continued to tug at his disgusting face. The body tissue squelched under his fingers as cold water sprayed everywhere; splashing him and soaking the bathroom floor. There was no need to worry about the mess. He had more important things to think about.

From the safety of the glass, Marth looked at the hidden creature lurking in silence. The beast looked back; the same frozen smile plastered on the unsightly face. It was the world's most ugliest face. It tormented him everyday- filling his mind with memories and sin. The beast's irises that were faded and the whites of the eyes bloodshot; sunken into the dark shadows around his sockets. It was a miracle that Marth hadn't become mad from prolonged exposure to its gaze. Its teeth were razor sharp; the fiend's face and body were scarred beyond comprehension and bruised so badly that it was hard to find a speck of peach. Any patch of skin that wasn't black or blue was red.

Burn marks.

_"Not just her... any of them. Tell them the truth, pretty Marth. Tell them the truth, you cowardly bastard..."_

Marth hated looking at the face when he was unprotected. When he was unprotected, the beast would mock him. It was inevitable. He'll tear him up, break him down. There's no escape for Marth. The terror owned his soul and his heart.

_"You're a coward Marth Lowell. Show them who you really are. Stop lying to them. Stop lying to me. You're a liar and a coward."_

"I'm not."

_"Liar."_

Marth could... Marth _would_ never get used to some of the features of the beast: namely the slash wounds that stretched across his cheeks, curving toward his ears in a truly terrible smile. A mortifying smile that looked like it was still bleeding. The wounds were five years old, but the marks and the memories felt fresh.

The bluenette knew why the marks were there. He knew why every bruise and mark was there.

Punishment.

_"You need to face up to them. That's right. Show them who you are. You love them don't you? They're your family right? They'll understand. Families understand each other. They care for each other and want the best for you. That's why your sister..."_

"Shut up." The clown smashed a jar on the large, dripping sink. He stepped over the cracked glass and porcelain shards and walked out of the bathroom. Frustrated with the villain, he stared at the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. He could see that the creature was still following him. He was always there. Sometimes out of sight but never out of mind.

He would be there for as long as he had air to breathe.

_"Touche aren't you?"_ Marth felt like laughing bitterly at himself. The clown sat down on a wooden stool and let the beast torment him. _"You're not one of them. You don't trust them. They don't trust you. What's the point?"_

One could feel 'sorry' instead of 'disgusted' at the creature. It was a broken soul after all. Marth thought that the demonic monster deserved every injury.

And more.

_"You're just a traitor. This time, you've set yourself on the edge where they know us. When you jump off the edge this time; you will break your neck."_

For a second, Marth felt pain around his throat. The pain tightened for a moment until the clown realised he had ceased breathing. He grabbed his throat, caught his breath and pulled himself away from the fiend.

"I won't break."

The same insults. They shouldn't have affected Marth- but the more they were stabbed in, the deeper they sunk. Marth could never let his real emotions show; if he did, then he would break. If he broke, he'd be left alone.

_"You're so selfish. You're a disgusting lowlife traitor. You know, you don't even deserve to live. We both know you'd murder all of your friends if it meant your survival. That's what happened with your sis-..."_

"Shut up! Just shut up! It was an accident!" Another glass jar of paint splattered, the glass shards spreading out mercilessly on the floor. Trying to block out the voice, Marth grabbed his sewing kit, determined to set his mind on something else. The fake clown took the prepared, sharp, sterile instrument. He stared at it for a moment, no hesitation evident in his eyes, but he turned back to the monster. All he got was another terrifying grin.

_"There's no such thing as an accident... is there?"_ Another choked laugh. _"You may be a liar but your art isn't. Everything in this room reveals everything about you. The paintings... the style... the **tools**."_ Marth hated that the creature knew so much about him. He hated that he knew the truth. Behind the beautiful art and portraits were Marth's macabre pieces. Bloody, horrifying pictures so mortifying that the artist himself could barely look at it. It took a lot of effort to make those wretched pictures and make them with no mistakes. The tools he used caused him pain. Marth insisted that they were all just accidents. The palette knife on his bed, stained with blood, and the numerous cuts on his fingers and arms begged to differ. _"Everything you hide. All because you're too much of a coward to do the world some good and take your own life. Get a grip already. How do your friends look at you? If they knew... they'd leave you in a heartbeat."_

It was finally time to come back to sewing his face back together. To make it tighter, harder to smile. The pain made it more difficult to start; but he aways went through with it. Always without painkillers because he deserved the pain.

The needle dived into the flailing skin and lifted the flesh back up near his cheekbone. Blood trickled down the clown's face as his steady, confident continued the repairs with grotesque precision. Marth never made a sound as the metal punctured him- tears would evoke questions; questions lead to the truth; truth lead to betrayal and death. He wanted to wince as he pulled the string, tighter then ever before.

It was harder for the others' sake. He made the thread as taunt as he could physically make it. Marth couldn't make the same mistake twice. That would be sloppy. No matter how often he wanted to turn away from the glass in disgust, he never did.

_"You're clever... you're so pathetic. You don't want to face their hatred... do you? Do you think imitation would change who you are? No one wants you now. No mother could stand loving a son like you. You know that too well. You know the ringmaster fought against you being here because of who you are. Only that bloody whore..."_

"Shut up... go away..." Marth shook his head and began to dab away the blood with a wet towel. His face couldn't have any blemishes or stains when he painted it. It would give away his facade.

_"I find it **comical** to watch you pine over her; you actually think she might even love you back when we all know she's falling in love with -"_

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Marth yelled, clutching his head. He wished the monster would stop smiling. The monster's voice had been clearer to him lately. His voice was familiar- there from the start but now he tormented Marth more and more often. The secret side of Marth could never be revealed; caged because he couldn't control it.

_"You don't deserve to live. You never did."_

"Marth... please come out. I want to talk to you..."

_"Look at me. Don't hide me away."_

Marth didn't respond to either of the voices. He got out his homemade makeup kit and began placing on his daily mask. He wanted everyone to just stay away- a comfortable distance where he could feel affection but selfishly make sure they didn't discover the truth.

"Marth... I know you're there. I know you can hear me. It's Roy." Marth barely acknowledge his voice, "Look... I know that you hate killing but... it's been three days and you haven't left your room. We're all worried sick about you- especially Samus. Please. Even if it's only for ten minutes... can you come out again?"

Already three? Yes, it had been three long and agonising days since he had washed off the ruins of his last mask- but he had never bothered putting it back on purely because he hadn't wanted to. For three consecutive days, he had been listening non-stop to the creature: in his thoughts and in his dreams.

Killing the Lucario had an impact on him. He had done it in front of Peach. He had let himself slip back to the side he promised not to reveal.

Now he was crying silent tears.

"Marth... please... open the door. We need you here with us. The circus isn't the same without you here."

_"More lies. Who needs a **lovable**, idiotic clown?"_

The man wiped the few stray tears and continued slathering on the cosmetics. The white paint, also covered by a thick powder, was so dense that it made his sunken, anorexic appearance look more full. Marth placed in his contact lenses and began applying eyeliner to make his eyes look larger and more innocent. Add to the facade.

Roy spoke again.

"Please Marth. Come out. We need your help... you being you. I don't care about your scars... just come out." Roy saw his scars. Marth had almost forgotten that Roy had momentarily seen his face. The bluenette hastened to apply his mask.

_"Lies..."_

"We need you. Marth. Come on..."

Everyone who saw the wretched scars didn't know the real meaning behind them. The horrors. The pyro didn't realise why Marth tried so desperately to hide his battered body. Marth began to coat his lips and the cheshire grin with revolting paint: the texture of the liquid making his cheeks appear normal. He looked normal: normal as a clown would anyway.

Suddenly the shatter of glass onslaught Marth's ears. The teen swiveled around to see Roy climbing through the window, a large blacksmith's hammer in hand. The red-head was void of his usual grin and playful expression.

"Roy! I-I'm not ready!" Marth stammered, turning his face and making a beeline for the bathroom.. "This is my room. You can't be in here!" The pyro-technician gave a frown and, with surprising strength, grabbed Marth's wrist.

"Stop trying to run away Marth. Look at me now."

_"Yes. Let him see! Tell him! Let him fear!"_

"Have you heard about privacy? Everyone else seems to have heard of it. Please let go of me." Marth could have flung Roy off, but the coarse-handed youth tightened his grip, determined to try and talk to Marth.

"Samus, as your adoptive sister, is required to respect your privacy. Your friends are required to respect your privacy. As your best friend, I'm not. It's my responsibility to snap you out of doing anything stupid."

It was bad enough that Roy managed to have a peak at his scars the first time; but it was horrible that Roy managed to see his face unfinished. It was harder to smile now. The new stitches constricted his innocent performance.

"Stupid? What stupid things? I just wanted to be alone for a while. I'm fine." Roy growled frustratedly and looked around the room. He scooped up the palette knife- and after a second thought placed the case on- and showed the blade to Marth.

"So what's this then? Paint?" The worried pyro began lifting Marth's sleeves up. "You're anything but fine. Marth, if you were fine, you wouldn't be hiding from everyone." He began slipping the sleeves off, catching a glimpse of the hesitant slash marks. "Tell me what's bothering you. Please. We can help you."

What was this? Wasn't Roy supposed to be the oblivious one? He could kill him now and enjoy it. Enjoy the silence and savour the beautiful crimson blood and the dripping flesh off his bones- ... No. He didn't want that! He just wanted to tell Roy the truth.

He could do that. Right?

Marth held his breath and remained silent. Roy was his best friend. Would it be too much to ask-?

_"Your sister would be so proud of you..."_

Suddenly, the clown twisted his captured wrist over Roy's and jerked it. The intruder yelped and loosened his grip, allowing Marth to run to his bathroom.

He could feel the rage and it was getting to the point where he just couldn't hold it.

With expert speed, Roy jumped onto Marth's bed and landed in front of Marth, preventing his retreat to the bathroom.

_"After all... a commander is entitled to do whatever he wants provided he follows the rules."_

"Just leave me alone." Marth muttered, shrinking his face away.

_"A commander must be secretive."_

"No Marth! We want you out there with us Marth." Roy yelled.

_"A commander must keep order."_

"Who needs me? What do I do?"

_"A commander must never let anyone in."_

"Everyone does! Even Master! It doesn't matter what you've done- ..."

"YES IT DOES ROY! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

_"If opposed, a commander may kill if he sees fit. It is his right."_

"Marth..." The bluenette clasped his hands over his mouth, astonished he had just yelled. "Marth... can you see now? You're not fine. Tell me what's bothering you. I don't have to tell the others." Roy hesitated. "Or I could ask Samus to come in and talk to you instead. You need someone to talk to Marth."

"I'm talking to someone..." Marth muttered.

"Eh? I didn't catch that." Roy guided Marth to the bed. The distressed man desperately holding his composure and mask but inevitably cracking. Makeup could barely hold him in. "What did you say?"

"I'm never alone. I'm always talking to..." Marth looked at the demon. The demon smiled back. He always smiled back. As long as Marth breathed, he would be smiling. No one could hear him scream. Scratching on the walls; in its prison without control; hiding in the dark, the beast would be there. Once upon a time, Marth wished for somebody to come and save him, make it end.

Then Marth would remember the truth.

"You're talking to who? Marth? Why are you looking at a mirror?"

"I'm talking to a monster. I always have been."

He was the monster.

There was never an extra voice. There was no demon.

It had always been his conscious: telling him the truth he'd rather not believe.

He wasn't a clown. He never was. Beneath his skin, he was a born killer.

Marth Lowell. The blood-thirsty warlord of the Planetary Commanders.

Commander Mars.

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**Next chapter: The history of Clown Marth Lowell: Planetary Commander Mars. You will learn of the horrors against furry and mankind that Marth has done, the way he met Ringmaster Ike and how he got his scars. You will learn more about how the Antromorphic hierachy works and you'll also see the link between both assassin and commander! I can't wait to show you all!  
**

**Thank you all for sticking with me for yet another year and have wonderful holidays! The best presents you can give me is a review :D!**

**REVIEWWWW!**


	25. History: Clown Marth Lowell

**Circo de la Luna**

**I have never owned the Super Smash Brothers or Fire Emblem... I just owned the Circus.**

**Happy Single Awareness Day (S.A.D.)! Instead of giving you a crappy Valentines' Day special, I'm giving you a crappy backstory special! It's the one you've all been waiting for: Clown Marth! The bipolar kid!**

**It sucks like hell... I'm sorry. My writing inspiration has died on me- its only you guys that keep me alive. There's so much symbolism in here I want to vomit... wait, no. I'm just sick... that's why I'm vomiting.**

**Okay! Enough of the depressing speeches! Don't worry about not knowing the other characters! I've never played Fire Emblem! I don't know them either! Hopefully those who do play will enjoy all the little Valentines' Day choccies everywhere ^^... you know... like Easter eggs but it's Valentines... never mind.**

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They say that some people are born to do evil. Their pupils are black as coal and no light can pass their abyss. These evil ones do not cry when they emerge from the womb. These children are destined to do terrible things. The children are said to have a heart, but no soul inside.

"Wait! He's alive. He's alive! He's breathing! You did it Liza!"

It wasn't superstition but a warning. The appropriate thing to do is take the soulless child and strangle it as soon as possible. Take it before it learns to do harm. To kill purebred humans with this trait was a common practice and no one ever questioned it.

"It's a boy. Mommy! It's a boy! It's a brother!"

"Please... Cornelius. Let me see him." The tall muscular man carefully picked up the child, swaddled in a thick, white blanket, and handed the infant to his pale mother. The woman was panting hard. She was weak and sickly- over the past two months she had grown weaker and weaker until she was on the brink of death. Her poor heart was thumping furiously but still too slowly despite the strenuous activity being over. However, despite her depleting health, she had a smile on her face as she cuddled her baby boy.

"Marth... Marth Lowell. That's his name. That's his name..." Liza violently coughed over and over again, causing young Elice to rush over to her and tilt her backwards so she was properly supported. "You'll do great things Marth."The blue-haired woman needed medical attention but Cornelius couldn't allow that. Every hospital was run by furries- and even though he worked in the military for them; he trusted no one. That's why Liza had to have a home-birth.

No one could help her anyway. Giving birth to Marth had sapped the last of her strength. Her thin hands trembled and shook as she held her newborn son. Cornelius picked Marth and cradled him himself.

"Mommy. Rest now okay. It's okay. We'll take care of Marth."

"Elice... my beautiful daughter Elice. Darling... please look after Marth for me... okay? Look after your father and brother?" Cornelius stifled a sound and the young Elice stared confused at her mother.

"What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm going away for a while baby," she coughed. "I... I..." She started gasping for breath causing Cornelius to put Marth down and rush to hold his wife.

"Save your strength. You're going to be okay." He lied. He lied to himself and to his family. It hurt less and gave him hope. Why did she have to be so frail suddenly? Why did she get sick only before the pregnancy?

"Mother? Mother?"

"Look after him Cornelius. Elice... take... take care of yourself. Take... take care of your baby brother." She slowly outstretched her hands to touch both of their cheeks, but before she could reach out any further, her hands lost their strength and fell.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"LIZA! NO! NO!"

Marth didn't even make a sound as his sister and father noisily screeched and mourned the death of a beloved one. He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He barely even blinked.

Marth was two hours old when he made his first kill.

Marth's first kill was his mother.

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**Pagebreaker**

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"Sip! More please Elle! More please!"

"Me too Elice!"

"You'll both get enough to drink. Don't fight though. It isn't proper. It isn't lady-like." As the other two giggled, the eldest poured the imaginary tea into the outstretched cups of the finely dressed two in front of her.

"Thank you darrrrrrling. Is divine!"

"Is divine!" The group erupted into laughter and they all continued to munch on their cookies.

In the bright peach-coloured living room, there sat three happy children having a friendly tea party. Elice had practiced her makeup skills and dressed them all up. All three of the young, unsupervised children had blue hair and wore ruffled, gaudy play-dresses. The heels they wore were seven sizes too big for them and all in all, they looked like adorable ladies.

"Now, now my friends. We're not just here to laugh. We're here on serious business. As you all know its time for all of us to show our artistic talent. So let's show each other now what we drew this week." The other two knew Elice was trying to be serious, but they had to laugh at the proud, nasally voice she was using. Being gifted in other areas besides the brains were treasured in a woman. Even the young trio knew that. They made a game from it.

"I drew us!" Disfigured stick figures were pulled from the small bag of the 'guest of honour'. They were all blue and they looked like they had potatoes for heads. A regular drawing for a five year old.

"Wow! Sheeda-chan is good!" Sheeda smiled at her companion on her right, clapping so eagerly that the two plaits that tied the blue locks bobbed up and down. Sheeda was a great friend of the siblings. Her father worked in the military with the duo and because they lived so close together, Sheeda often came to stay and play. Elice smiled and pulled out her own drawing: a much better depiction of a colourful house and a bright happy sun.

"I drew a house." The other two clapped excitedly as the girl grinned. She turned to the in the silver dress and beckoned him. "Don't be shy. Show us what you drew." There was a giggle and then the chair was pushed back. Lifting up the hem of the skirt, the third member of the table briefly left Sheeda and Elice.

"I like the dress Elice. That the best." Elice had to agree. Even though Sheeda and herself were both adorable in their respective auburn and gold dresses, it was their friend who was dressed the best. From the way the blue hair was plaited with ribbon to frame the face, to how the silver dress cascaded over the lithe frame. It was the best.

It took a while for the person to come back.

But when he came back, it was with a beautiful A4 sized portrait.

To whom who would have saw it, it looked like bluenette how a thirteen-year old drew. There were flaws but definite shapes and the figure was easily recognisable. It was a portrait of Liza. Taken directly from a picture from the mantlepiece downstairs, what had been made was simplified version of Lady Lowell in full colour.

"Marth... oh my gosh. This is beautiful."

"Amazing!" Sheeda jumped up and hugged Marth. "Marusu so good! Good!" Marth fought a blush.

"I declare Marth the winner of our art collection. All in favour say 'I'!"

"I!" Sheeda exclaimed as Elice joined in on the hug. The two five year olds and the nine year old held each other so tightly that they tripped over their own dresses and fell on the ground laughing.

"BEEP! BEEP!'

"DADDY'S HOME! DADDY CAN SEE WHAT I DREW FOR HIM!" Marth exclaimed. Marth had always admired his strong father. Even if he wasn't home often, Marth loved him unconditionally. Wriggling out of the dog pile, the young boy jumped up and gathered his skirts in his arms. Kicking off the outrageous heels and tightly clutching his picture, Marth ran down the stairs. He nearly tripped but kept his balance and scrambled into the hall to see his battle-worn, exhausted father trudged in. It was rare when the man actually rested in one of his three mansions- even rarer when he was in the same building as his children..

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Marth ran up and looked eagerly at him, holding his picture above his head and up high so his father could see it. But while Marth's eyes were sparkling with excitement, his father's were dull. He took one look at him and walked past.

"That's fine Elice but not now." He briefly ruffled Marth's hair but, for the most part, ignored his presence. "Daddy's going to bed. I'll see you later." He walked up three flights of stairs, and past where Elice and Sheeda were following Marth, before turning into his room and locking the door. Elice indicated to their neighbor to stay where she was. As Sheeda slipped back into the playroom, Elice slowly walked down the stairs. By the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs, Marth was metaphorically looking bluer then his real hair.

"... Dad's just tired Marthy." The girl said as she walked up to him. "It's not that he didn't want to see it. What you drew was wonderful..."

"Daddy didn't even look at it."

"Marth..."

"It's not fair!" The five-year old was having a temper tantrum. "Dad is awake at 3am doing his stupid business for eight hours but he can't bother to spend five minutes with us! Dad never pays attention to the stuff I like... girls like to do!" Marth scowled as he scrunched up his drawing and threw it at the ground. He ripped out the plaits in his hair but failed to take out the tightly laced dress. "It's always about the war! War! War!"

"Marth! Behave yourself. Sheeda can probably hear you from down here." Elice scolded firmly. However, she approached Marth and gave him a tight hug, causing the boy to calm down a little. The older of the two forced him to sit on the staircase.

"Daddy like to fight so I don't want any more girly stuff. I want to be a man!"

"Marth... you're overreacting."

"Elice! He's mistaken me for you eight times now! He doesn't care what I do as long as I do what I want! He's only interested in his job." Marth began to mumble but Elice heard every word. The compassionate woman held her brother close and leaned his head on her lap so he could stroke his wavy, soft, blue-hair.

"And do you want him to be proud of you?" For a nine year old girl, Elice was already very mature. She had been the lady of the house ever since she had brought back Marth back from the hospital and been responsible for her friends longer then she could remember. Marth nodded and buried his face into her skirt. "Marthy..."

"I want to change! I want to make daddy proud! I wanna be worth something! I'm not an artist! I want to learn to fight! I'm going to tell dad right now. Daddy said he'd give me martial arts lessons..."

"Marth. You don't have to change just to please him." Marth suddenly fell into silence. Elice leaned over and grabbed the scrunched up paper. She opened it and gave a small smile, showing the portrait back to Marth. "You just have to be yourself and then..."

"Do you think mommy would be proud of me?" Elice remained quiet. "Daddy isn't proud of me. Don't lie Elice. But... do you think mommy would be proud of me Elice? Can you tell me what mommy was like Elice?"

"I...I..." It was painful for the young girl to remember her mother. Her role model and inspiration. She would remember everything pure and beautiful about Liza Lowell... before she died her tragic death. "I... I can't Marth. You know that. I'm... sorry." Marth seemed to accept that. He pushed himself up and looked at his sister.

"Elle... are... are you proud of me?"

"Always Marthy. I'm proud of you everyday. I love you forever and I will love you for always. As long as I live, I promise to protect you."

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**Pagebreaker**

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It was some point in time where being good at fighting wasn't good enough. The seven year old knew that when his father took him to work. Entering a state-of-the-art, high-tech military base would excite any small child, but Marth had no such reactions. Even if he was smiling, he lacked the hyperactivity that came with most boys his age.

Marth requested to come along though, and it was a notion that his father embraced quickly. They both knew that Marth was a gifted child in both intellect and fighting, and for that reason was why he was allowed to be brought to the underground portion of the base.

He was good.

The base was completely private. His father didn't even work here, but because of his masterful techniques, the main workers had called him in and allowed the high-ranked solider to walk through their halls.

The 'Persuasive Anthropomorphic Interrogation Nascent' was literally underground. A long forgotten network of underground chambers that had been renovated into headquarters for the military. Like most anthropomorphic bases, the level closest to the surface started as a long hallway leading away from the hidden entrance, and at the end of the hall, the passage opened up onto a walkway that encircled the large main chamber, which is actually a part of the second level. There were several flights of stairs that lead down to various rooms, but Cornelius guided Marth down one of the hallways off to the side. Marth didn't mind the metallic, cold vibe the corridor gave off and the terrible foreboding it gave off...

In fact, he liked it.

"Are you sure you want to see this Marth?" The man paused, trying to find an appropriate way to articulate. "You're still young." The bluenette nodded.

"Yes father... I am ready." They weren't in any wars so he couldn't see his father on his throne of the battle field; but he did want to see part of his work life. Marth loved to battle. Despite Elice's protests, Marth began to learn martial arts when he was five and, somehow, was already a fully trained black belt whose skills rivaled any adult.

This impressed his father very much and when Marth had showed him his accomplishments, he had told him he was proud. Though Marth had genuinely come to love the thrill of the battle, he was still bursting with pride and he excitedly announced to his father that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Cornelius laughed and promised that, 'before Marth would usurp him', he'd try make sure he knew what his work entitled.

Cornelius began disarming a heavily secured door. It took a few minutes to open, but when it did, a petrified scream bellowed out.

The door was soundproofed so that no one would be disturbed by the noises that came from the interrogation chambers.

Marth walked past the doors, head turning occasionally when a screech or drilling sound was heard. The silver chambers shimmered under the blue, neon lights and Marth could hear the own echo of his footsteps. It was cold and creepy but oddly alluring.

"This one Marth." After thirty-odd pairs of doors, the two turned left. The door was generic like the others- no handle and sealed tight. When Cornelius swiped his security card and punched in a code, the door slid open to reveal a grey room with a few chairs and only one man. It wasn't very interesting, until Marth looked at the giant glass plane, where a bunch of machines and drawers could be seen underneath.

"Ah! Cornelius! There you are. About time you got here." A bearded man smiled and shook hands with the older Lowell. Cornelius smirked.

"Marth, this is Jiol. He's a friend of mine. I think you were too young to remember when he came over." Marth bowed as he was trained to.

"Pleased to meet you Mister Jiol."

"Well you've grown up, haven't you? Come with dad today? Think you can stomach our work?" Marth nodded and Jiol laughed. "Atta boy. I wish I had a son with as much backbone as him." Cornelius coughed.

"So what's the situation? How are far have you gotten?" Jiol's face lost it's smile and burrowed deeper and he led the two towards the one-way mirror. The two looked through the window see a man strapped to a chair, being whipped across the face. The interrogator looked distressed while the victim's face was fixated in a deadly calm.

"So far we only know his code name is Anri. He works for the terrorists but we're not sure which group. He's a stubborn one... he won't talk. We don't have much on him." Cornelius frowned. He leaned down to the microphone and held the button.

"Hey! Hammer Bro... take five okay?" The interrogator growled and clipped the whip back onto his belt next to his hammer. The green-shelled creature punched Anri in the face before walking to the door and opening it.

"Any luck?" Cornelius asked.

"Negative. He's a stubborn prick." Marth barely noticed the swear word. The Hammer Bro washed his hands as he spoke over his shoulder. "I didn't expect him to be so hard to crack..."

"It's fine. Go have your lunch. Jiol and I are going to the vault and checking whatever records we have there... come on Marth." The Hammer Bro. grinned and went to go take what looked like a long break. Jiol scowled.

"Cornelius. It's bad enough you're letting a kid here- but you know no outsiders are allowed in there. No exceptions. Not even family." Marth raised an eyebrow. His curiosity was spiked about this... vault, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. It seemed like an important plot point for later.

"Do you want to come Marth?" Despite his feelings, the bluenette shook his head when his father looked at him.

"Go dad. I'll just have a drink of water. I'll be okay by myself for a few minutes. I can even keep an eye on the prisoner for you." Cornelius thought. The security was checked yesterday, so there was no chance of Anri escaping, and Marth was a responsible boy...

"... Okay Marth. Just don't touch anything." With a hesitant look, Jiol sighed and wordlessly agreed. The two adults left the room- leaving Marth by himself.

It took the bluenette no time at all to start searching all of the drawers. Although he had never been here before, his powers of observation were flawless. He knew where to get all that he needed. His small fingers allowed him to get the items he needed without disturbing anything. He pocketed the small items and grabbed a clipboard, hoisted on the wall. After reading the information, the seven year old began typing codes onto the computer and then grabbed a chair. He pushed it to the door of the prisoner's torture chamber and opened the passcode hatch.

Marth knew the pass-number that identified his father. It was his mother's birthday. He quickly typed it in and the door slid open. Marth hopped off his chair and the door shut behind him, leaving the lithe child with a dangerous rebel of the Anthropomorphic army.

"... I endure thirteen days of endless torture, and the next they send me is a child?" Marth looked up innocently at the man with his big, doe-like eyes and tilted his head. "If this is another plan of that bastard Cornelius, he's a dead man. What's a kid going to do to me? Cry for his mommy? I'm so scared."

"Nothing. I'm doing nothing," Marth said simply. "I was just wondering why you're locked here. The Hammer Bro. left to get some files with that other guy to find out about you." The man laughed. Marth's face turned to confusion. "I want to know what you did that was so bad. I don't see you as a bad person Mister."

"Heh... and they left a child here with me? What? Do they think I'll blab my secrets out just because there's an innocent kid here?" The man sunk deeper into his metal chair and looked around the equally metal room. "Who are you?"

"Marth! I snuck in here! I'm not asking you to reveal anything personal... I just want to know why you're here. Please tell me." Marth paused and sat on the floor. "No one is around at the moment. I told you that, but you don't have to believe me." Anri was good at a few things- one of which was reading a person's body language. The boy seemed to be telling the truth and everything he had said seemed natural and plausible. It really did seem like there would be nothing wrong with talking to him. Marth looked so cute and adorable and... Anri felt compelled to reveal a little information- if it would make Marth happy. It was like he completely trusted Marth because of his cuteness.

"... I killed a dragon. Then I messed up and then some weird dinosaur defeated me. He dumped me here and then 'The End'. Happy?" Marth clapped and jumped up to give a hug to the man. Anri was completely taken back at how cheery the child suddenly looked. "...umm... Am I missing something?"

"You told me! You told me a secret! No one ever tells me secrets! Thank you!"

"Well no one ever tells secrets because we could get killed." Anri smirked. He felt new spirit and a sense of optimism that was infectious from Marth. "My line of work is dangerous." He felt his courage again. "I work for a small group called the Crystal Stars. They don't like me because I killed someone very important and because I know where the Crystal Star's sanctuary for the children are." Marth's eyes lit up.

"Crystal Star sanctuary? Other kids?" The tired man nodded.

"You never see other kids before?" Marth shook his head.

"Only my sister... it's always been just my sister and I. I don't get to see other people very much." Marth turned away and the man struggled not to look at his sombre expression. The poor kid was lonely and miserable. He didn't know why he was here but he looked very afraid and filled with self-loathing. Anri whistled, bringing Marth to face him again.

"... check if those bozos are back. If they aren't, I'll tell you something." Marth peaked back into the next room and then ran to Anri. He nodded and the man smiled. "So... kid. There's a place in Mount. Lavalava where our base is. There are caverns under the volcano and the kids hide out there. If you're ever in trouble or on the run, just go there and put the rubies on the floor into the raven statue's eyes."

"Thank you sir! How can I repay you?" Marth gave a tight hug to Anri. The man smiled.

"Releasing me would be great."

"I don't know how to..." Marth looked dejected. "I'm sorry... can I repay you in another way..."

"Food?"

"Something more appropriate." Whispered Marth. He leaned over to Anri's ear and began to whisper even more softly. "I have a secret."

"Hmm?"

"...I'm the son... of the man you insulted when I walked in."

"What?" Anri suddenly yelled. Marth grabbed the man's head and he threw it backwards to hit the back of the metal chair. From his pockets, Marth flicked out ten scalpels and mutilated the prisoner's flesh by stabbing all of them into his thighs. The man groaned and yelled but his voice died in midst of all the other prisoners. Marth grabbed Anri's head by his hair and began bashing the prisoner's head, in-between each word the boy spoke.

"I noticed your eyes were distant as that Hammer Bro. was hitting you. You were diverting your mind. That's why torture didn't affect you." It was horrible seeing the cute Marth hook large, electrical clamps on Anri's neck. He then followed it up with pushing the scalpels in deeper and hooking more wires up. "But now that I have your full, undivided attention, I can properly kill you."

"Why?" Anri screamed as he writhed in agony.

"Because... You outlived your usefulness. I've recorded this conversation and that has what they need to know. You're a mook. You don't know more then you've already told me." Marth smiled as he opened the door again and pulled a small generator in. He turned it as high as it would go and poised the other end of Anri's neck cords by the generator. "My father will make sure that there will be no children to avenge your death."

"You monster..." croaked the man. "What are you?"

"I'm just a kid. What could I do to you? Cry to my mummy?" With that. Marth connected the cords and flicked the switch: sending 50 milliamperes of current through Anri's body. The prisoner died quickly but painfully.

Marth laughed.

Sure he would be in trouble for touching things and killing off someone... but it was worth it. The thrill! That rush of that first kill! It was marvelous. The dying screams of agony- vividly describing his life and torment. It was beautiful! Marth loved it! He craved more of it!

The boy stopped the audio recording and ejected the disc. He placed it neatly in a case and sat down, waiting for his father and Jiol to get back- wondering what their reactions would be.

Daddy was very proud of his intelligent and resourceful son.

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**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"Sir. I told you the last six times. He's just a kid. I can't fight him."

"Told you he wouldn't dad."

"Wolf. As your superior, I order you to fight my son and attempt to win. Try kill him if you can..." Wolf had gone into many battles before. He had been stuck in countless weird situations: tracking down a human with a cocky lizard; dressing in drag with a flamboyant panther... but this took every weird situation and threw it out the window. He was supposed to kill his boss' prized son that he always boasted about.

In front of an audience.

Well, it was three people. The daughter of the captain, the captain himself and a tall woman with pale green skin, bright red hair and crimson eyes. Wolf had never seen the woman before but his commander was comfortable around the hooded cloaked woman. Wolf bowed to the woman and she smiled and gave a royal nod. After looking at the woman in her half-dress, he smiled at the familiar face of Elice Lowell and he turned to who he was to fight.

Wolf stared down at what he had first assumed was a young girl and narrowed his eyes. He was supposed to try and fight, with all of his strength gained over thirty years in the army, a child who had barely reached adolescence? The blue-haired child couldn't have been older then twelve or thirteen.

"Sir... with all due respect... I can't..."

"Marth. Do you want to fight?" The small child laughed cockily and smirked at the older anthromorph, instantly aggravating Wolf. He reminded him of his old buddy Falco... damn he hated that bastard. Thank goodness he joined that police force years ago.

"Of course I do... if the old man is up for it. I didn't know the toughest warrior in the army was such a chicken." Marth sneered. Wolf could feel a vein pop in his head as he kept his temper as low as possible in front of his superior. "I think we even might need to use a simulator... you know... so he doesn't get injured and such."

"Sir... With all due respect, may I tear your son to shreds?" Elice gasped but her father laughed and indicated to the battle arena outside. It was nothing but a large circle drawn in the dirt, but the sight of the place filled Wolf with savage pleasure. The court the Captain had ordered them to go was a dueling court. To prove their superiority, and get a little bloodshed on a slow month, the arena was a place for duelists to use their best moves with no regards for their opponents safety. It was Wolf's home-court advantage, having fought there and reigned victorious for ages.

"Bring it on old man." The smug bluenette walked up to the arena and took off his cloak, revealing his tiny frame, clothed only by a thin shirt and pants. He looked like easy prey. To humor the teen, Wolf took off his armour and walked into the dust circle only wearing his pants. His muscles rippled as he gave a tremendous roar in an effort to intimidate the bluenette.

"I'll make you eat your words kid." Marth looked around and smirked at his father, sitting in between the two women on a bench, to watch the fight. Marth cracked his knuckles and chuckled cheekily.

"By the way... we're allowed to use weapons and... why don't we make this interesting? "

"I don't need them to crush a brat like you... and what do you mean by interesting?"

"If I win, you submit to me and have to do everything I say. If you win, you get my father's position." Wolf's eyes lit up and looked at Captain Cornelius. Yup. He was completely serious. An easy promotion and a chance to school some ignorant brat? His day was just getting better and better.

"Prepare to say goodbye to your job Captain." Cornelius laughed.

"Be careful Marth!" Elice yelled out.

"We'll see... and Marth. Remember your training." Marth nodded. Cornelius raised his arms. "Begin!"

The battle would be fast...

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"My name is Marth Lowell. According to our deal, you're now my servant." Humiliated, Wolf looked up at the now smiling boy. He had a few scratches and bruises but, compared to the battered vulpine's body, he looked like he had just come out of a day spa. How the hell did he manage to beat him so quickly? Wolf ignored the small, outstretched hand and clambered to his feet, wincing as he did so.

"I'm Major Wolf. Hey... friend..." He felt bile at the back of his throat. "Hey Marth... how old are you?""

"Thirteen." Like he suspected.

"You're good. Too good if you ask me." Marth raised and eyebrow in confusion. Wolf looked down to see Marth's hand still outstretched. He looked helplessly at his boss who nodded before tentatively shaking the young man's hand.

"Well, well, well. That was impressive. You managed to defeat all thirteen of the most challenging foes we could think of. You've past the test." Everyone turned to the mysterious woman, clapping delicately as she walked up to Marth. "Though I say, I expected you to have more trouble with fighting Wolf. Cornelius always did speak in such high regard to him." The grey wolf snarled and turned to the pale woman.

"Who do you think you are?"

"It's none of your concern." The red-head turned to Marth's father. "I'll take him straight away. I shall have him back to you soon."

"I'm so proud of you Mar... Commander Mars. This is a huge honour. For your country and for our family." Marth smiled broadly at Cornelius and gave him a short-lived but warm hug and a salute. The older man parted and Marth turned to Elice. She looked almost as pale as the mistress but Marth ignored it and past it off as sickness.

"I'll miss you the most."

"I'll miss you too Marth... are you sure you want to do this?"

"I want to keep everyone in the world safe and happy. You especially, Elice." Marth hugged her. "...are you proud of me now?" The bluenette shakily smiled at her younger brother and placed a kiss on his forehead. She seemed distant and concerned but her love was still plastered on her features.

"I said I always love you, Marth. I promised..."

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"I'm Commander Venus, but you can call me Midna."

"Midna! Then you can call me Marth."

"The last Commander Mars we had died. So I have to know once more; are you sure you want to do this?" Midna sighed as the two walked through the halls of the unknown location. It had been a long, tiring but fruitful day.

Marth smiled and bowed his head courtly, "I acknowledge what I am to do and what I'm committed to." Midna smiled and stopped. She turned around and let her smooth hands touch Marth's cheeks. "You have a lovely smile."

The adolescent boy blushed and stared at Midna's gold-red orbs. He was used to murder, battle and the arts... but interaction of this sort was a completely foreign. "T-thank you. Umm... I like your eyes." The woman let go of him and continued leading the way. Confused to what had happened, it took Marth a few minutes before he ran off after Midna.

"There was supposed to be a ceremony that officially let you be one of us, but I suppose there's no time." She looked down and smirked. "I suppose, then, I will have to give the full explanation to you myself."

"There's more? I thought we were just the epic version of policemen." Midna laughed.

"Of course there's more. You know about our democratic government?" Marth nodded. "Well... currently in charge, is this country, Prime Minister McCloud. He deals with laws, economy and other such divisions as the army. However, he can't deal with everything which is why there are sub-groups to help out such as the state governments or divisions of education, magic and a lot more. What most people don't know that while Fox is voted in or out, we actually have most of the control of the continent." Marth's eyes widened but Midna laughed. "No... I know what you're thinking. This isn't a huge conspiracy. Our role as commanders are to go around and help the different areas of our world. It's not just fighting off the rebels but giving advice on how to run things when the leaders don't know what to do; devising new and effective ways to help the world and generally trying to make sure everyone is happy."

"So... we're the equivalent of Guardian Angels?"

"Yes Marth. Like Guardian Angels. That's the short version of what we do. I'll give you a history lesson about our origins later." Midna laughed as stopped again. It seemed like a dead end but, upon further inspection, Marth realised it was a heavily disguised, titanium door. Midna took off a small necklace and swiped her Fused Shadow Key on a hidden. Marth watched as she typed in her password, wondering what was behind the door. When the red-head had finished all the security measures, she opened up and bright light flooded the tunnel.

"Ow!"

"Well then Marth... welcome to the Planetary Commanders' secret base." Marth's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his eyes.

For people as powerful as the Planetary Commanders, Marth would have suspected a highly mechanical base filled with lasers and other cool technology. The violent teen was astounded, yet not disappointed, of the colossal, tropic design of the base.

It looked like paradise. It was a replica of a rainforest, complete with its own living trees and waterfall. Besides the occasional fortified door, the place looked beautiful and eco-friendly. Marth had been on many vacations before, but despite all the natural beauty, he had never seen trees and flowers so well-cared for.

"This is our base. We call it Gaia. Like I said, we're rarely all here at the same time because we're busy but we come here for group meetings. In a moment show you the profiles of each of us so you can get familiar with our little family." Marth nodded, awestruck and speechless. Midna giggled again. "We all have different jobs in preserving the peace and beauty of our world; Neptune is even a senator. Everyone has a role... from Mercury to Neptune..."

"What happened to Pluto?"

"Plu-what?"

"Never mind. What's my special role Midna?" The woman smiled at the teen.

"You're responsible of defense. Mars is the Roman god of war and so your name reflects your skills and your job. You go around and save our people from losing battles. Be a hero." Marth's eyes lit up at the notion.

"And your job Midna?"

"Venus is love and prosperity goddess. I advocate mostly in magic- making sure it's used properly and making sure no one accidentally summons any evil demons. It's a hard job... but I love it. I hope you'll come to enjoy your job as well."

The two slipped into a comfortable silence and strolled through the large compound. There weren't any sentient furries but there were a few birds and insects flying around. The warm sun (or what Marth thought was the sun) beamed down leaving the base in a comfortable, warm temperature. It was truly a tropical paradise.

"Even though we do have all this miraculous technology, we purposely themed our base this way to remind us that the environment, the people and our world is what we strive to protect." Midna said as they walked together. "If you follow me, I'll show you the monitor and the technological sides of our base and teach you how to use it."

Following a lovely stone path, the two went through the amazing landscape to one of the doors. Midna opened it again and showed Marth to a tech-lab. It wasn't as stiff and mechanical as one would have assumed, but it was certainly more advanced then Marth would have believed.

"I'm told you're a genius Marth. I've read your files: proficient in the sciences, math, medicine and... of course battle. Are you as good with technology as you are with fighting?" Marth shook his head.

"Not really. I'm afraid I never really caught on with cybernetics."

"Oh well, we can't be good at everything." The two laughed. "However, even if you did, I don't think you'll know how to use this techno-beauty yet. We haven't released this outside of these walls." Midna's hands graced over the keyboard of the large screen. "You'll learn and soon you will be one of us." Midna began pulling profiles up of the Commanders. Marth stared. His brow furrowed.

"Is that icon supposed to be flashing?" Midna looked up and did see that, indeed, a small blue button was flashing. She smirked.

"You're certainly an observant one. It's actually convenient that he's calling. You'll be working with this organisation a lot in your future and the sooner you get to know them, the better." She raised her hood. "You know the drill... don't let anyone else see your face."Marth slid on the blank, plastic mask on as the screen shifted to show a small, round figure seated in a chair. The figure held an air of high importance and yet he showed humility to the Twili woman. "Ah! There you are. I was wondering when you would call."

"I apologise for my tardiness Commander Venus. I will not make this a consistent thing." It was amazing how Midna shifted from casual to work-mode. It reminded Marth of his sister- how she could be his big sister one moment and then Lady Lowell the next. For the first time, Marth felt a pang of longing to be with Elice again- however, he quickly pushed the emotion away so he could become Commander Mars.

"This is MidKnight, Commander Mars." Venus said, presenting the puffball.

"Charmed to meet the new leader. I look forward to battling alongside you."

"Likewise Sir MidKnight."

"MidKnight is one of our highly skilled Star Warriors. He trains the rest of the Warriors. Their organisation helps the Commanders often." Marth nodded in understanding. "Star Warriors and Planetary Commanders share a deep connection and it is vital that you learn how to work with them. Whether battling, assassins or doing business deals, they are the people to turn to if we need an extra hand. He's my personal favourite; after all he is the best."

"You must be very eloquent in your work." The puffball on the screen gave a chuckle.

"Commander Venus gives me such high praise. My work is nothing. We strive to deliver just a mere token of appreciation for what the Planets have done for our land. Now I must return my duties. I've done what you asked of me."

"Good. Thank you MidKnight." The screen went dark and Midna removed her hood. Simple disguises. If they lost it, it would have been easy to replace. The Planetary Commanders had to be hidden. They were secret angels with shotguns.

"We have a lot of power Commander Mars. In addition to your connections, you must... oh. I almost forgot. Silly me. You didn't get gift from all of us." The bluenette watched as dark shadows crept around Commander Venus. In front of her the shadows formed a shape of a familiar weapon before flashing brightly and revealing a shining blade. It floated in front of the teenager and, slowly, he removed it from its perfect, leather sheath and grabbed its golden handle. "I heard your weapon of choice was a blade. So we had this made from you."

The armoured youth stared at the sword, admiring the beautiful, detailed craftsmanship as he did so. The word 'Falchion' was engraved on the blade indicating its name and the hilt was sturdy yet still beautiful.

"Thank you Commander Venus. I shall treasure it." He swung it in front of him to test its stats and was surprised to feel how natural wielding it was. He sliced out a complicated battle maneuver, noticing how the blade wasn't just a weapon but almost like an extension of his own arm. It was magnificent.

"The highest quality from Lycia. It was fashioned by a skilled weapons-master and we give it to you. It can slice through metal with no problems and... well... you can imagine what it does to flesh. Keep it safe."

"I will." Commander Mars grinned as he sliced the air once more. He put the sword back in its sheath and placed the weapon on his back.

"Have fun... but use it responsibly. After all we must remember: a commander is entitled to do whatever he wants provided he follows the rules; a commander must serve the people; a commander must be secretive; a commander must not show weakness; a commander must keep order and a commander must never let anyone in."

"Yes ma'am. I understand."

"And if opposed, a commander may kill if he sees fit. It is his right."

"I should hope so Commander Venus." Commander Mars smiled, his hands itching to try the blade out. "I should hope so."

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

At fourteen years of age, Marth was a complete monster. Power corrupts the longer it is held; and, to the untrained mind, it was deadly. Three hundred and sixty five days was a long period of time: certainly enough to completely twist a person into a one-man army. Having power... having all this power and being able to control it was nightmarish. Having a way to channel the acquired skills and bloodlust on one goal was just ghastly.

Pure carnage.

The war-hero stared at the small base ahead of them. They had strong defenses but recently the ally forces had blown the roof off the castle-like base. Commander Mars' troops would have bombed the place by then but because of stolen technological turrets, air support couldn't get in. Their objective was to storm the fort. Easier said then done. There were too many people shooting down his army before they could fire and the rough terrain made it impossible for tanks to push in. It was almost like a stalemate.

Commander Mars had a plan.

"Commander? Your orders?"

"Burn them. Burn them all." Commander Mars stated. The lieutenant looked at him alarmed, his fur seemingly on end. "Did you hear me?"

"Commander Mars. There are children in there and innocent people... and our own men are down there..." The roof was wide open. The short time planes were up there, they had a perfect view of where scared civilians were hiding behind the rebels for protection. There were hundreds of people who just wanted to go home and escape the war-zone nightmare.

As if he cared.

It was a winning strategy that exploited weakness. The bluenette snarled and kicked the stupid man onto the floor and snatched up a canister of emergency fuel. He placed it in a metal shell and loaded it into a cracker launcher.

"I don't care! Those who defy the Commanders will pay dearly. Everyone they love will burn down with them." With that, from his cliffside perch, Commander Mars sent the fuel flying on the main barricade of the rebels. At first it seemed like it would fall on their own troops- but the shot was so perfectly calculated that it spread only around the center- where the rebels had their women and children. The humans against him, and even the bluenette's own army, watched in horror as the heartless bastard snatched a real bazooka off some minion and set it off. The projectile rammed into the base wall to little effect, but the sparks and firepower set off the sky. It lit up the fuel and sent fiery rain down- young screams up into the night sky.

Commander Mars laughed as people bellowed out in agony. This wasn't according to plan- the plan was to take out the rebels.

Mars knew that and while he was ordered to take as many prisoners as he could- the massacre allowed his troops to push forward.

Killing men from behind was a simple task as most of the people defending had left their posts to try help their families.

They won the battle.

That's how Commander Mars won many battles- with underhanded tricks or hideous brutality. He could hack across bodies with the Falchion the old-fashioned way (and he was very good at it), but he could also be plain sadistic. Once he found a baby, cut open its stomach and fill it with explosives: and detonated it when the dead child is taken to the medical wing. Another time he gauged out all the prisoners' eyes and sent them to the enemy until they surrendered. There were so many instances of his cruelty that it was impossible to know where to begin.

It was rumored that he lacked compassion and kindness.

It was agreed everywhere that he wasn't human.

Commander Mars was a monster.

And he enjoyed every second of it.

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"Elice. I'm fifteen. I run my own battalion. I'm a Commander. I'm perfectly capable of combing my own hair." Elice laughed. The brush went through Marth's long locks, giving his blue-hair a delicate shine.

"I thought they had at least a shower... you were a mess when you came home Marth. It seems to me that they didn't teach you any useful skills." Marth winced as Elice brushed out a particularly irritating knot before she gave him a hug.

"I did so learn!" Marth protested.

"Sure you did Marth..." Elice sighed.

"What's wrong?" The blue-haired woman stood up and Marth followed suit, turning around to see her. Like the woman, it was amazing how Marth grew muscles on his lithe frame, it was amazing how beautiful Elice had become. She did look like the the lady of the house. Her long blue hair cascaded down her back, her skin shone and made her face look elongated and beautiful and her body had matured. She was the splitting image of their mother. "Elice?"

"Marth... things have been changing lately. Surely you must have noticed it..."

"It's my job to put bad guys in jail!" Marth protested, knowing clearly what she meant. Recently... more and more humans had been put in jail. That wouldn't have been a problem if not for the construction of the 'Human Containment Ward' - a special institution to try and rehabilitate humans. Lately, more and more 'traitors' had been found and forced into the ward. Suspicion had grown and the world was getting nervous. "There's nothing wrong."

"... were you told to say that by the others? ...Or do you actually, genuinely believe that?" Elice stared directly at Marth. He stared back, unblinkingly before sighing.

"Elice... there's nothing wrong. I promise to protect you. I love you sis..." The woman gave a weary sigh and hugged her little brother. She gave a light kiss on his forehead. "I'm serious. I promised you. I know you hate me doing my job but I want to protect you. You've done everything for me Elice: you taught me how to ties my shoes; how to colour..."

"You're a much better artist then me Marth..." Elice stated, absentmindedly wishing that Marth had chosen a more placid lifestyle as an artist. He was still good at it.

"You helped me when I was afraid Elice. I was weak but now I'm strong. I've done everything for you Elice." Marth smiled at her.

"... I love you Marth."

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

The day that everything fell down was the nineteenth of April. It was a sunny day, completely shadowing the nightmare that was to come.

"Marth! Marth! You did not just steal my hairbrush! You're acting like you're ten! Give it back!" The man laughed as he jumped out of the bedroom window and onto a nearby tree. He turned and laughed at the two women- one sighing and the other who was contemplating whether to laugh or be angry. "Give it back!"

"You have to come get me first Sheeda."

"When I decided to come over, I didn't expect to have to put up with a child." Marth laughed as he playfully hopped back on the balcony and gave her his hairbrush.

He kissed Sheeda on the cheek and then suddenly picked her up bridal-style.

"Marth!" She shrieked. Elice watched in amusement as Marth hoisted himself on the railing and balanced on the thin metal bar. "You're going to fall!" As if to provoke her, Marth jerked a little so that Sheeda felt like she would fall down all three stories. She clinged to Marth's neck more tightly and Marth sprung over to the tree branch. She didn't stop clinging until Marth put her down. "You jerk!"

"Sorry Sheeda. Messing with you is fun." The three laughed. Elice lazily walked to the balcony's edge and leaned on it, watching Marth dart around his friend immaturely. This was the Marth she preferred to see. This was the Marth that she hoped he would be. "Lighten up. This is the first time we've all been together in ages."

"I know. ... it may be our last." Marth looked down at Sheeda, her hands clenched in her laps. "Minerva and Nyna were taken a few weeks ago and I don't know why." Marth opened his mouth to protest but Elice glared at him. The man just sat down and put his arm around his friend.  
"Look... I..." Marth started to reassure before a loud screech of tires were heard. Then a crash that shook the branches. "What the heck?"

"It came from the front of the house!" Elice exclaimed. Marth was about to tell his friends to stay but before he opened his mouth, Elice had run back in the house and Sheeda slid down the tree and began racing off. Marth jumped and followed her through the back door and through the vast hallways of the mansion. By the time they had reached the front door, Elice was making her way down the last flight of stairs. Marth opened the door.

"Dad!" Staggering out of the flaming wreck was Cornelius. He groaned as he tried to make his way up the steps. Marth caught him before he hit the pavement. "Are you okay? Dad? What happened?"

"Get inside... I think I lost them..."

"Elice. Medical kit. Sheeda, hold the door open for me." The two women did as asked as Marth helped his father inside and rested him on the living room couch. Elice was prepared and came back as soon as she came, bandages and a first-aid kit at hand. She began nursing his wounds as Marth and Sheeda crowded around him. "Who did this to you Marth?"

"...they're all evil. I can't believe I was so blind." Cornelius angrily punched the couch arm.

"They? What are they talking about?"

"Anthropomorphs." Marth froze. "They're killing humans. They have been from the start. They're enslaving people. Those human containment wards are making zombies out of everyone!" Elice taped the last of the bandages together as Marth held Cornelius' arm.

"What? Dad. You're delusional..."

"YOU! You're one of the worst culprits!" The girls screamed as Marth was hit in the face. "Those Planetary Commanders... You know what they were doing! Why didn't you tell any of us? Why didn't you say what they did? You want power so much, you're ready to betray humanity? Huh boy?"

"Dad!" Elice screamed, holding his fist back. Marth jumped up, ready to fight him back which lead to Sheeda holding him. "Tell us what happened." Cornelius glared at Marth as he sat down and Elice next to him.

"I was accused for betrayal to the Anthropomorphs and was to be locked up for helping humans. I asked who had the authority to arrest a loyal captain and then these... freaks, "he looked at Marth, "almost kill me. I escaped and crashed another car out in the water so they'd think I drown but..." Marth tried to wrestle Sheeda off him without hurting her.

"Are you crazy? You come straight here after feigning death? YOU CRASHED A CAR! They'll be here in a..."

"Attention Cornelius Lowell. You have been accused with treason against the state. Please exit the building quietly and we won't have to use force." Elice looked outside and gawked.

"They have almost a whole army out there. I'd have to say at least eight hundred men." Marth glared at his father.

"What did you do?"

"What am I going to do?" Cornelius asked rhetorically, ignoring his son. "I'm going to fight. They're going to kill all of us." He stood up and stared directly at Marth. "You don't have to forgive me for earlier, but I want you to take the girls out of here and into the forest." The estate was surrounded on three sides by the Lost Woods: an enchanted forest that seemed to never end and was filled with twisting hallows and winding paths. Marth, Sheeda and Elice knew the confusing maze like the back of their hands. "It will be safe there. Go to the Kokari Village and speak to Mrs. Kokari. She'll help you. Do not come back here... ever. Do you understand?" Marth looked at his two friends and nodded.

"Yes sir." Marth said nothing else. Cornelius accepted that.

"There are the emergency packs under the sink in the back. Go! Go!" Without further ado, the three raced through the house and back through the door. Elice grabbed the packs on the way and they began sprinting across the lawn into the woods.

"BOOM!" They all recognised the sound of his father's sonic cannon. Someone yelled and then there was nothing but constant cannon shots. When Elice and Sheeda had successfully been hidden by the trees, Marth turned around.

"Marth! Where are you going?"

"I have to save him! He can't hold himself against everyone! Don't follow me!" Marth yelled as he picked up into a sprint. The house had its roof blown up and fire was ripping through it. The bluenette didn't have much time.

He turned the corner to see his father. He was behind and open living room wall, ducking for cover.

His father was being throughly thrashed. "DAD!" Marth yelled as he ran low, towards him. Shots came towards him but his armour and cape the Planetary Commanders gave him were bulletproof and the shells uselessly bounced away.

"DAD!"

"Marth! Get away from here!" The man yelled. Marth ducked and rolled behind the couch, which was a frame of its former self a few minutes ago. The man was about to protest but then the attacks stopped. Cornelius looked up to see Jiol, walking towards him with a white flag.

It had been barely five minutes and they were surrendering? Marth was suspicious.

Cornelius, seeing his old friend, stood up as well. Although he was suspicious, he was relieved when he saw the greying man. When he saw that no furry was shooting at him, he smiled and walked towards his human friend...

Only to be shot in the face.

"DAD!" Jiol smirked and put his gun in his holster. Two furries ran to grab the fallen body and the people looked ready to go home- surprised how easy that was.

Marth stared at Jiol from his place. How dare he? That man just betrayed his father's trust!

He deserved to die.

Just for coming, they all were going to die.

Marth slipped on his bullet proof Commander's mask and charged into battle. He grabbed his father's sonic canon and swapped the settings to a thinner, more concentrated wave. He fired it at the back of the armada, instantly killing the men in the back and setting the entrance on fire.

There was no escape from them.

Commander Mars knew that anyone would rather chance fighting one man or escaping through the flames then getting lost in Lost Woods. They would come to him. He would slaughter them. Slaughter them like the dogs they were.

Jiol and the other furries turned around to see the foreboding, red commander. They paled. Most didn't realise that he was at home. His skill had fear and surprise as his allies. He aimed the sonic cannon again on its regular setting, his shots more precise then his father, and wiping out another hundred men.

"Get him! Kill him! He's a traitor too!" Commander Mars snarled as he jumped down the porch steps and whipped out his sword. The Falchion sparkled as Commander Mars slashed a creature clear in half and bashed the head of one with the hilt. A blob-like solider came near him- confident that the sword would not harm- and Commander Mars' weaker left hand whipped out his emergency laser gun, instantly destroying the Ditto and sending the Pokemon's guts raining on everyone else.

Wicked delight ran through the man as he ran through the crowd, slicing and shooting with full intent. Sensations of pleasure ruptured through his body as horrified screams and agonic cries tickled his ears. Blood of a variety of colours splattered on Commander Mars, making the man more and more excited. Human? Pokemon? Poyonesian? Hylian? Who cared? It the need to kill! He wanted to kill! It was exciting!

The taste! The sight! The smell! The sounds! The feel! It was glorious! Simply glorious! He needed more! He still needed revenge! He needed to kill!

Jiol was the only human Commander Mars could see so far, but he was sure there were more masked ones running about. Commander Mars could deal with the others later. Jiol was running back, like a coward, past people who wanted Mars' head.

They all tried to attack him at once- pulling at his cape, stabbing and shooting but Commander Mars' powerful counters drove them all back. His infamous 'Dolphin Slash' got him through men quickly and his armour prevented harm.

He kicked up a decapitated head and used his gun to blast it, sending gore through the air. Commander Mars sliced his way up and stepped on a large solider's head. The Wiggler tried to toss the bluenette off but was too late- Commander Mars jumped off. He shot the Wiggler in midair before landing perfectly in front of Jiol. The man's eyes widened and he started to back away, but the revenge-driven man stared coldly before driving his sword through the man's heart.

He had no time to rejoice in his quick victory because more people were coming. If he could, the man would play with the carcass. He settled with a crooked smile and he leapt again, missing a cracker launcher shot. He ducked and weaved his way through the crowd, his lethal blade taking down several opponents with one slice or stab. He was a one-man army against a real army. The worst part was that he was winning. They only had a fraction of the skill and the power that Commander Mars possessed. It was a massacre.

He was infinite! He was invincible! No one could stand in his way!

"Marth! Stop it!" It was his right to kill! How dare they try to kill his father? How dare they invade his home? He didn't have to stop. "Marth!" Commander Mars ignored the screams of protest from his friend.

Sheeda had run out by herself, her old sword in her hand and poised to help. When she had noticed that Mr. Lowell was dead and Marth was just fighting pointlessly, she knew she had to stop him. When Elice and Sheeda waited in the forest, they heard screams and explosions- they couldn't wait for Marth or run off on their own. Both were worried that he'd get hurt, so Sheeda told Elice to stay- as Marth did to them- and she went to go help. She was a better fighter then Elice and she could probably hold her own long enough to get Marth and run. She had her love's safety in her mind.

Commander Mars barely noticed that the bluenette didn't belong on the battlefield. Sheeda was confused as the teenager turned to her. In his bloodlust and thirst for screams, he swung his blade around and sliced Sheeda. His desire to kill overpowered his conscience. Sheeda screamed and tried to defend. She managed to block three of his blows before she few back, blood rushing up and out of of her chest. The commander parried and dodged a few bullets and lasers before rushing over and stepping on the necks of Sheeda; instantly killing her for good.

He barely looked at Sheeda's carcass. He was smiling too broadly. He twirled Falchion and charged forward, continuously reducing the army to ribbons. They were realising that fighting a Commander in any circumstance was fruitless. The smart ones made an effort to try escape through the flames while others charged on as ordered.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes seemed like hours. In the head of Commander Mars, there was no time. There was just the desire to kill everyone. Everyone around him. He needed them all to die!

His methods weren't as gory as in war- where he had time to make strategies- so the deaths were quick. Bodies hit the floor like rain hit a window plain. The large squad sent must have lost almost half of its members by then.

It was just ripping and tearing. Shots and explosions. Commander Mars could do so much. He was the God of War. He loved it! He didn't care for the blood on his hands, it was the rush of bringing lives to an end. It was an addiction! He needed it! He'd kill anyone for his fix.

It was that mentality that would shock Clown Marth in the future. Make him vomit when he remembered that this disgusting monster was him. It was that reason why he blamed himself so badly for the incident that made his life perform a 180 turn.

"Marth... Marth! What's going on? Where's Sheeda?" Elice had a gun in her hand and while she wasn't dressed for war, she didn't look completely out of place. The woman looked at her brother has he stomped on someone's neck, with horror when she saw and realised, in the same fashion as Sheeda was killed. "Marth! STOP IT NOW! STOP THIS MADNESS! NOW!" Commander Mars stabbed another man and flung him away. The blue-haired woman ran up to him and held his shoulder. She pulled him into a tight hug as she would always do to make Marth calm down, as if no different from him having a temper tantrum. "MARTH!"

Commander Mars pulled her off and sliced off her head.

Elice managed one dying scream as she fell to the ground. Her head rolled and Commander Mars glanced at the teary face of the disappointed woman at his feet.

He broke.

"Elice... Elice?" He blinked. Realisation of what he had done, sunk in. No one dared to come near him. "No... Elice... Elice... NO! NO! NO! I'm sorry! Elice! Elice!" Marth ripped off his mask and grabbed Elice's head. The tiara she always wore fell off her decapitated head and slipped into his hand. He sobbed. Marth fell to his knees and weakly tried to attach her head onto his body- as if it would make everything okay. "Elice! No! Elice! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" His arms were wrapped protectively around the lifeless, limp upper body. The poor boy's head was bowed over and he rocked back and forth a bit as he tightly hugged her in his arms. His own body was trembling as he did this.

It was then he realised he killed Sheeda too.

His body refused to move- paralyzed in a state of shock. His mind shut down.

What had he done? He looked up and around him at all the damage he had intentionally caused. He couldn't do anything by cry and hold Elice as tight as he could.

"We have him now men! Knock him out! Do not kill him! I repeat! Do not kill him!" Marth didn't move as Wolf's voice barked out orders. He didn't move.

"Elice... I'll never hurt anyone again. I promise. You didn't like it... I'm so sorry. I'll never kill! Never again! I'll undo everything! Don't leave me now... Come back to me Elice! Elice! ELICE!" Marth sobbed as he lay his head on her chest.

"Take him down!"

Marth felt himself be stunned on the back of his unarmoured neck. He felt a club to the back of his head.

Then it all turned black.

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"Where... where am I?" Marth's eyes watered as shining white flooded his vision. He closed his eyes and retreated to the dark. "Hello? Hello?"

"He's awake. About time. I thought we killed him." Marth was about to call out again when he was suddenly kneed in the gut. He coughed, winded as a shrill laughter filled the room. "Awww... Is the little traitorous vermin hurt?" Marth yelled as a gloved hand yanked him up by his hair so he was standing up. His legs shook weakly but they somehow supported his body. Marth ached and groaned. He could feel he was wearing nothing but his underwear and he assumed that he was wearing Elice's favourite headband.

Elice...

Marth nearly vomited and the thought of the woman he loved more then himself. It actually happened. He had just killed his own sister. Marth tried to bring his hands up to his face to weep but large cuffs were violently clasped tightly around his wrists and ankles. It completely prevented him from moving and the chains on his ankles forced him to remain standing.

No... the chains weren't clasped on. Marth was snapping out of his wooziness and began making some blind observations. It almost felt as if the circulation to his hands and feet were cut off. Dear Ashunera... the chains were drilled into his ankles and wrists. That's why there was so much pain. Drilled through his flesh and into his bones were large, angry metal cords pumping something into his body.

Where was he? What was happening?

"He looks like a woman"

"Keep the hairband on. It's his sister's. Maybe he can pretend to be her. Right Princess Martha? Are you awake your highness?" Marth looked up to see who was speaking but he couldn't see a thing. There was nothing over his eyes, but he was blinded by what he presumed was a high intensity spotlight trained onto him.

It was painful and degrading. The room burst out into horrifying laughter.

"Enough." A cold, chilling voice reached Marth's ears. It was one he had never heard before yet it was familiar-as if he had heard the voice from every nightmare as a child. It set his body as stiff as concrete. "Commander 'Mars' Marth Lowell. Second child of Captain Cornelius and Lady Liza; and the last living human bearing the Lowell name."

Were they trying to make him feel even more hurt then he already was? He already understood he murdered two of the closest people he'd ever knew. He already felt the mind-scrambling confusion.

What were they trying to do?

"How do you plead? To the slaughter of eight hundred and thirty-four military personal and two innocent bystanders? Do you deny that you did this act?"

"No... I am guilty." Marth choked out, finding his voice dry and hoarse. He was so dry that he couldn't even summon tears. He was on trial. He could tell now even if he was blinded by the light. He was alone and the other Planetary Commanders (plus this other creature) were standing around him. Mocking and laughing. They were getting ready to punish him.

"For your rebellion against the antromorphic military and the Planetary Commanders; I sentence you to have the Celestial Touch performed on you. You don't deserve the relief of dying." The 'chink' of metal indicated the stranger was walking away. "I shall trust the Planetary Commanders will make sure it is done... properly."

Marth had only heard about the 'Celestial Touch' in scary barrack stories and he, like most, believed it was a myth. Apparently it was a legendary punishment- reserved for only the worst criminals- and involved all the Planetary Commanders attacking him. It was only a myth right? If no one survived from the touch, then why were there rumours? Marth tried to reassure himself but all it did was make him worry even more.

For a moment there was nothing but silence.

Marth couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything but his own breath and his heartbeat. His breathing seemed louder and more heavy. It was slow and the rhythm seemed to be a warning. It was like a death march. A white death march. Marth could almost see the light through his eyelids- Like some grotesque creature's hand trying to get him. He wanted to get away from the light. Its cruel beating was making him more scared. It made him more aware of where he was. How vulnerable he was feeling. They knew it, too, and took pleasure in locking him in. The chains held the rogue teenager down where they could get him.

The first one to get him was Commander Jupiter. He could tell by the large, coarse gloves that grabbed his neck and forced him to look up.

"You think you're so strong! Huh human? Huh?" Marth yelled as he was hit in the gut by a mallet. He groaned and tried to stop coughing. He could hear the largest Planetary Commander walk around him. "Do you think you're better then us?" A sickening crunch and Marth stumbled forward, the chains grinding against his skin and his left leg now broken. The bluenette wanted to scream but his mind hand no time to register the attack as he was assaulted again and again.

"You're a sick disgusting piece of slime. You know that? Do you know that?" The large figured yelled as he curled up a punch and rammed it into Marth's stomach. One punch turned to two and then to eight.

It was just countless pain. His ribs cracked, his arms broke and he flopped over like a rag-doll. The hammer beat into him so hard in the face that his teeth cracked. He bended backwards in the most unnatural way before Commander Jupiter picked him up and slammed him again with the hammer. Marth was like a punching dummy.

Nothing stayed broken. For reasons Marth didn't understand, after the large commander set him out flat, his body would fix itself. Yes, painfully but he could feel his bones would become... unbroken. Marth couldn't tell if that was a good thing because he kept breaking the bones all over again. The other commanders didn't help make the experience any less enjoyable- every crack made them cheer. Every time he hit the floor, they catcalled.

He groaned. He felt sicker then ever. Why couldn't they just kill him?

"I'm done. I've vented. Who wants the next go?" A sound of rushing wind and suddenly, Marth could feel someone else was there next to Commander Jupiter. The big male laughed and walked back to his position, leaving Commander Mercury. His crooked grin reached his cheeks as he grabbed Marth's face. His gloved fingers dug into Marth's chest and he pulled the beaten boy towards him.

"You think you're so clever. You think a few murders will make you a hero? We're the heroes. You're a monster. We're going to show you what we do to monsters... human." Marth didn't say anything as the fastest Commander spat into his face. The words he had said started sinking into his mind "Still... it hardly seems fair to take all my anger out on you. Which is why I promise up-front not to murder you... No, I'll just beat you within an inch of your life!" The others roared with laughter as Marth cringed for what was inevitably coming. He tensed his abs and got ready to be hit again.

He was defending the wrong area.

Razor-sharp spines drilled into his back. It was like a buzz-saw- just scraping his back to rip out all the flesh in a deep cut yet not too deep to hit anything important. There weren't enough adjectives in the world to describe his screams or his pain. It was something incomprehensible to someone who never experienced torture. He could feel his own blood splatter over his legs and drip from his back, down his body onto the floor. He could taste Commander Mercury's sweat as he burrowed into Marth.

Commander Mercury was the fastest one of them all, it was natural that he had the fastest torture. Marth was relieved that the drilling had stopped. His open skin and his flesh ached all over. He was so tempted to open his eyes but the fear of spoiling his eyes kept them fast shut. All thoughts besides ones associated to fear, pain and regret had left his mind.

"What? Tired so soon Mercury?"

"No way. I just have a lot of work to deliver around. I'll end it here with this." Marth roared. Now his face was being burnt by naked flames. How sadistic were these creatures?" Have fun!You'll have much more fun then I did with this loser. Catch ya'll on the flipside." Like leaves, Marth's face began to fold and crumble. His eyes slipped open before the heat forced him to be blinded again. This was cold-blooded torture...

But he deserved it.

"See you later Mercury. I'll tell you how the rest goes." Marth raised his head. Midna? She was here as well... that was expected. Marth couldn't help but feel neglected and hurt that she wasn't doing anything to help him... but she was one of them. She was just friendly to him once-upon-a-time because he was one of them. It seemed so far away.

"He's so crude. He is." Marth looked forward, focusing on what he couldn't see in front of him. The voice that wasn't familiar with English. It was definitely Commander Saturn. His face suddenly smothered by a wet cloth, extinguishing the flames and his burned skin throbbed angrily. The injury wasn't too serious... so to speak.

"You... bad person. Very bad. Punishment. Yes, punishment. Not burn. Burn make you not see. Seeing not is very bad." Marth's hands were grabbed. The chains were taunt as the ring commander pulled them closer towards him. He laughed.

"Pretty! I like those! So clean! I want those." Marth yelled as he felt his thumb's fingernail grabbed and yanked out of his hand left hand. He barely could hear the whistles and cheers of the commanders over the jolt pain. Commander Saturn smirked as he touched the nail, stroking it repeatedly. He was going as slow as he could to drag out the torture. Marth wanted it to end. Them to end his life right then!

As one by one, his nails were yanked off, Marth realised something.

He still had three more torture sequences to go. There were eight commanders in total; he couldn't assault himself, Commander Earth and Commander Mercury had left and Commander Jupiter was done. Four... if you took into account that Commander Saturn hadn't finished torturing him. The 'Celestial Touch' wasn't a painful killing move, it was a painful torture method. He'd be kept alive by magic (or something like that) but each Planetary Commander was going to have a turn at mutilating him.

With that sickening realisation, Marth promptly vomited bile- produced by his parched, depraved stomach. The Commanders howled with laughter as Marth tried to cough out the disgusting taste and thought.

Marth screamed and writhed in agony as his last fingernail was yanked out by the tight grip of Commander Saturn. Blood covered his fingers and toes completely. His soft flesh ached even under the chill of the air-conditioner.

"This makes ten. This is ten." Marth couldn't see but he could feel the commander's scaly nose on his face and his hand holding something in front of him. Marth definitely could guess what was happening. Commander Saturn was holding his own fingernails to Marth's face. Marth found that being blinded by the light was scarier then seeing his own misfortune. He was used to blood shed and gory scenes, but imagining what was happening, rather then seeing it for himself, made it all the more horrific.

"Open your eyes worm. I want you to see! You won't see? I'll make you see..." Suddenly the Commander's nose got off him.

Then he bit him.

Marth yelled and tensed as the teeth ground into his flesh, drawing blood. A hot, slithering tongue touched his body, coating him in saliva. He was colder then ever now. He cried uncomfortably and Commander Saturn laughed. Perhaps more would have been done, but Marth saved by a rolling echo- sounding like an operating table turning into an operating theatre.

"I do good things to your body. I make it hurt. Yes I will." Marth hollered as loud as he could. He was begging for forgiveness but his mouth refused to make words. Commander Saturn had taken burning hot nails and stabbed them into the joints of the teen. He cried out as they drove deeper and deeper, wrinkling and twisting his skin- layering it in a hideous fashion.

The last method of torture took a long time, but the damage was very fresh for Marth. Hammering hot metal in all three hundred and sixty joints of the human body would have killed any regular man; but- with grim dissatisfaction- Marth found he was very much alive.

"Done. No painful more injury can give. He hurts bad." Commander Saturn laughed. "Now work on bad man mind. Yes... do that! Rawr! Rawr!"

His large boots sounded away, replaced with much lighter ones. Marth didn't know these ones as well... so he knew this was Commander Uranus.

Commander Uranus didn't speak like the others. In fact, Marth couldn't hear him coming until he was practically on top of him. He could see the black silhouette from his eyelids. There was a soft beep and a cold metal needle tip touched his forehead. Then a bucket was raised to his face and held there.  
Marth suddenly lost the ability to breath. He kicked and tried to resist as water filled his throat and nostrils. His face's new burnt marks began to ache and inflame by the sudden cold. His lungs begged for air and his face felt like it was attacked by ice arrows. Marth could feel his brain freeze up and his body writhe. He was going to drown by a cold water bucket. A shallow water bucket. Everything was dampened considerably, his senses leaving him. He screamed which only shortened his time underneath.

His mind began shutting down. He clinged desperately to his thoughts to try help him survive. Anything good or positive; but the only things wonderful Marth experienced in his life was with Elice and Sheeda... and he had killed them less then a day ago. All of his memories felt warped and fake.

Marth's head was pulled out of the water. He grasped the sweet, precious oxygen and inhaled. He coughed and spluttered, causing them to keep laughing. He just wanted them to stop! Just stop! For the first time in his life, Marth felt humiliated. He felt a lot of things that stretched the crevice of his self-made dark heart: remorse, guilt, longing, sadness instead of desperation, hatred instead of revenge...

That just made it more painful.

Were they dulling his senses or were they hyping them up?

He couldn't even think properly anymore. It felt like he had lost all touch with his body and was trapped in the vast caverns of his mind. He hated it. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. His head was too dark! He didn't want it!

Marth's head was dunked back in the water again. Now he knew what he was expecting, he could only cry as he was subjected by the onslaught of emotion. His eyes opened fully for the first time. The stinging in his eyes... they were drowning him in salt water. They were dehydrating him even more.

His emotions began swirling around in his head again, some new and some so vivid that Marth's head hurt trying to comprehend them. He wanted them to stop! They had to stop! Please stop it now!

The world around him was a blur. When his head was pulled out of the water, the sudden brightness almost blinded him permanently.

"Please... stop it..." Marth croaked out, not recognising his own voice. It wasn't hostile at all. It was faded and submissive. The laughter roared all around Marth as he tried to cover his ears, resulting only with blood running from his wrists via the chains.

It seemed like hours- Marth was repeatedly subjected to the water-dunking. Just when all was silent and his hopes grew that it had ended, it started again. The victim drowning in his own sorrow and sin. It seemed appropriate for a murderer like him.

His screaming stopped altogether; his tears dried out but his pain was plain on his face. It was enough to keep going and going.

Marth felt as if his whole body was falling limp as Commander Uranus' needle beeped one more time. He removed the device from his forehead and Marth heard the light-footed creature scoot away.

Two more tortures to go but Marth had a feeling that it would not get any easier.

_"Hello Marth Lowell..."_ The psychic. There were only two creatures he knew, with mental abilities as sophisticated as the ones penetrating his stupefied mind, and it wasn't Midna. Commander Neptune chuckled as he read everyone of Marth's thoughts. He penetrated the caverns of Marth's mind, looking for his point of weakness. The bluenette did his best to resist but his body stopped his full defense from going up. _"Your resistance is cute... you know you won't ever escape me."_

"Just... kill me..." Marth moaned again, coughing up nothing.

_"Kill you? Why would we do that? You're valuable Marth. Too valuable to kill. I've never seen such raw, murderous talent."_ Marth shook his head defiantly. He made a promise to Elice's body... he'd never hurt anyone again. _"We can't have you backstabbing us again. Since you won't team with us willingly... we're going to have to try a different way."_ Marth shuddered. "_All I'm going to do is... Break. Your. Spirit. Granted, that's not going to make torturing you any less fun. Personally, like you, I enjoy the moment when someone loses all hope. It's more amusing then death."_ Commander Neptune laughed. _"I really do love to watch that moment."_

If it was possible, Marth just filled himself with even more self loathing.

_"I'm sure by now you're wondering why you haven't died by now. I mean... aren't you the least bit curious that none of your injuries last longer then a few minutes?"_ Commander Neptune's sinister voice filled his head even louder. Marth closed his eyes and tried to resist the mental attack to no avail. His mental defenses were slipping. _"Commander Uranus constructed your chains so your body receives energy at regular intervals. You couldn't have passed out or fallen asleep on us, even if you wanted to."_

"Go away..." Neptune ignored him.

_"Your mind can take this... because I am here. I am taking care of you. To properly feel the Celestial Touch, you must be as... ehheh... healthy as possible."_ His large hands touched Marth's face, bulbous fingers gently stroking him. It was a lot smoother then Saturn's touch but no less chilling to feel.

"Leave me alone... I don't want to see any of you..." Marth panted.

_"I know... you want to see Sheeda and Elice... don't you?" _Marth froze._ "I'll grant your wish."_

There was a click of fingers.

And Marth's mind broke.

_"MARTH! MARTH!" Immediately, his blue-eyes flew open. Sheeda? "You bastard! You monster! Why did you kill me? I was trying to help you! What did I do to deserve this?"_

_In front of Marth was Sheeda. She was dressed in a plain white dress, Marth's own blade skewered into her chest letting scarlet seep through the cloth. Marth tried to reach out to her, but he couldn't move._

_"I didn't mean to! Sheeda!"_

_"I hate you Marth! I hate you! You were never around! You never cared about our friendship! You monster!"_

_"Sheeda... let me explain..."_

_"There's nothing to explain! You're evil!"_

_"Sheeda..."_

_"GO TO HELL DEMON!" There was a burst of bright light; temporarily blinding Marth. He felt torn... was that how Sheeda really felt about him?_

_"Marth... Marth... why Marth?" The bluenette opened his eyes. Sheeda had disappeared but now Elice standing in front of him. She looked beautiful and perfect as in life... but here, her favourite laced dress was soaked in her own blood. She was crying and Marth's heart broke. "Why did you kill me too? Was I not a good sibling for you?"_

_"Elice?" Marth blinked before trying to reach out for her. "Elice! No! I'm the bad guy! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

_"So you admit it..." she wasn't yelling like Sheeda was. Somehow that made it all worse- made him feel more rueful. "Why Marth? Did you hate me that much? Did I get in the way of your job too much?"_

_"No! Never! Elice! I'm sorry!" Marth struggled._

_"Did you hate mommy that much to take her away from us?"_

_"No! I didn't! I'm sorry!"_

_"Did you enjoy killing me?"_

_"No! No! No! I'm sorry! I'll never kill again! I'm not going to hurt anyone! Elice! Sheeda! I'm so sorry."_

_"I'm not proud anymore Marth... I'm sorry. You're beyond redemption." She turned away and the light shone again. Why was she leaving? No! It was too soon! He had to see her! "Goodbye Marth... we won't see each other in the next life."_

"ELICE! ELICE!" There was no dimming of the light but somehow, Marth knew he was back in that torturous, bright chamber. He was sobbing dry, uncontrollable tears now. It was so real... that was real...

"Elice... I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." The illusion had faded and Marth was all alone.

He felt lost, out of place. The realisation that nobody wanted him anymore sunk in. The sickening thought that nobody loved him wrecked his heart. It was as if his soul was suffocating outside the water.

Marth was dirty and hurt. He did nothing. He was alone. He was finished.

He may as well have been dead.

And he accepted it.

"Well, well, well..." Marth didn't even notice Commander Neptune had disappeared. He raised his head slightly when he heard Midna. What was she going to do? Nothing Midna... nothing Commander Venus could do could make him feel more hurt now.

"There's nothing I can do..." Marth didn't realise he was whispering aloud. "The Celestial Touch is lifting Marth... it's only me now." Her tender hands ran across the bumpy, twisted skin. She touched his hands and took out the chains from his wrists. They flopped down uselessly by his sides and Marth made no effort to try and escape. Venus smiled under her veil and freed Marth's feet. Exhausted, Marth's legs gave in and he buckled onto the floor: prompting more heinous laughter from the others.

He didn't care anymore.

He wanted to die.

"Marth... my touch will be something to remember this occasion by. You can open your eyes now." Against his will, his eyes fluttered open to see around Commander Venus and himself was what looked like a cage of mirrors. He could hear the other Planetary Commanders outside- so he knew he was still trapped.

Shadows grabbed Marth and yanked him in an assortment of directions- forcing Marth back on his aching feet. The golden eyes sparkled with devious excitement as her acidic touch made Marth's skin burn. He winced as Commander Venus tilted his head, making him look directly at her. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.

It felt like sludge. Her kiss was poison. Marth couldn't scream despite how much he wanted to. All at once, the pain from the past five tortures rippled through his body. He had to scream- he had to express this anguish someway but he couldn't. He needed it to stop.

Commander Venus let his lips go. Marth trembled uselessly as she smiled. She ran her fingers through his dull, stained hair and began whispering into his ear.

"I curse you with these scars. They will never heal as a reminder of all your crimes. Every mark, bruise and every burn will remind you of what you've done." Marth remained silent. Commander Venus let him stare blankly at his own hideously tainted reflection.

He was ugly. From inside out he was ugly.

"...There's something missing." Commander Venus murmured. Marth found himself forced onto his knees. "I know... your smile. You have such a lovely smile. You should wear it forever." A large dagger appeared in Commander Venus' hand and she placed it in Marth's mouth. "Please smile for me darling."

She ripped out the flesh. One side and then the other. It was a quick and painful process that Marth could see reflected onto him by the mirror prison.

Forever Marth would have the perfect, open-mouthed smile.

The scars would never heal.

Marth had been successfully subdued.

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

"In you go slime. Enjoy hell." Marth landed face first into the cold, dark cell in the most fortified faction of the Human Containment Ward. His face smashed against the cushioned, white floor and despite the soft looking exterior, Marth felt cold and very real pain. The door swung behind him with a loud 'clang'.

Despite his straight jacket, Marth got onto his feet pretty easily and rammed against the door. "Let me out! Let me out!" The bluenette hated small spaces. The Planetary Commanders knew he was claustrophobic and now they have condemned him to living out the rest of his days in a confined space.

"Oh yeah. Happy sixteenth birthday worm." The guards laughed as they walked away.

The scarred boy continued trying to bash his head against the door. He was trapped. Tears were running down his face as he scrambled to get out of the area.

"Someone! Help! Help!" The teenager screamed, running back and forth in his tomb. "Elice! Sheeda! Help me!" Marth screamed, tears running down his cheeks as he sobbed. Marth leaned against the walls of his white prison, drawing his knees up to his chest.

The inner darkness had long since closed the outside world, leaving a void of nothingness in all directions. He was slowly giving up escape attempts. Beating the wall simply gave him a headache and no one could here his screams here.

'This must be how prisoners are broken for interrogation' In the past few hours his thoughts had taken a decidedly morbid turn. He was thinking so desperately about his sister. How he killed her. He was thinking about every life he killed. They all had families and friends like the bluenette did- but not once did Marth think about that. He was so interested in killing... but he never realised that he had killed people with hopes and dreams. Did they always feel the same way he did?

_"It was always like that. I am a sociopath."_ Marth stared straight in front of him. There was a small, one-way mirror that served as an observation point for guards. It barely could fit a pair of eyes pressed against it, but as Marth had fallen to the back of his cell, he could hear his own voice call to him._ "You poor, pathetic thing. Look at yourself! Your misery is a sight for sore eyes. The world would rejoice if they could see that the murderer of their husbands and fathers was finally imprisoned."_

"Who are you?" There was no response. "Who are you?"

_"I'm not surprised that you don't recognise my voice... you never use me."_ Marth's eyes went blurry. _"I'm you. I'm Commander Mars... I'm your conscience."_ Marth knew he was slightly insane- his mind was making his reflection move. The reflection crawled closer towards Marth and grinned, revealing a set of pointed teeth. Insanity at it's most dangerous. "_I must say, it's fun, listening to your hopeless thoughts._

"...What are you?"

_"I'm your guilt... a manifestation of every soul that you've ripped from this earth. You stupid boy... you feel their misery through me. Metaphorically of course but... heh. That makes it just more fun."_ Marth stared at his hideously scarred reflection. His skin was becoming eerily pale, and near translucent- making his slasher Glasgow smile seem even more frightening. He felt sick just looking at his own face. Marth quickly looked away and shivered._ "Your fear fills me with glee. Your screams are music to my ears. I can tell you're suffering."_ Marth whimpered._ "...but I don't think you'll ever know the severity of your actions."_

"What?"

_"You have no soul. You broke it. You can't repent if you tried. You're just that heartless and selfish."_

"Go away..."

_"Awww... but you just met me. I must say, I've been terribly neglected. You've never noticed me before Marth. I'm actually quite insulted."_

"Go away..."

_"And leave you alone? Huh? With Sheeda right? Oh wait... that's right. She's dead. You killed her. Oh well... there's your sister... oh wait! She's dead too! The woman who you strived so desperately to protect... you killed!"  
_  
"It was an acci-"

_"Accident? You smiled when your blade hit her. For that second, you know you were happy as you sliced her." _The bluenette lowered his head._ "You still have your sword now. It's in your tiara where you hid it."_ Marth stared in confusion. He was still wearing his headband. His stomach dropped._ "Of course... you were barely conscious when you stowed your sword. You were obviously planning on breaking free. Filthy traitor."_

"Of course I want to be free!"

_"Ignorant too! You're stupid Marth! You killed them all! Don't you get it? You. Are. Alone. There's no reason for a criminal to be free!"_ Marth cowered as the voice suddenly got louder in his head. He stumbled and tried to smash the door down again. _"Dirty! You miserable lowlife! You know you don't deserve to live. You don't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of society. Murderous monster."_

"Leave me alone!"

_"Now why would you want me to leave? Let's get this straight Marth Lowell... I'm your conscious. I'm telling you what's right and wrong from now on. I'm going to help you. I speak the truth: I will never leave you. Ever."  
_  
"I hate you!"

_"I am you. Then again... you need to hate yourself."_ Marth began banging his head harder and harder on the wall. His head began to hurt as he scrambled more frantically to escape. _"You only hate me because I'm right. Where are your leaders to give you orders? Where are your powers? Where is that genius with all that wasted potential and ambition? It wasn't my actions that got you in here. It was yours. Your guilt. Your sin. Everything you get here is only a portion of what you've done. You know that everything you did was always your choice. Why waste the hate on me when there is only one being to truly loathe?"_

Marth was sobbing desperately. His vision became blurry before he slumped in to unconsciousness once again.

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

He intended to commit suicide as soon as possible.

But she saved his life.

She gave him a new one.

She renewed his broken spirit.

She helped him escape the prison.

She silenced his mind.

She made him happy.

Samus Aran... the woman who swore to protect him. He didn't deserve her smiles or the joy she gave him but he treasured it. Samus.

He couldn't escape his past; but Samus gave him a reason to look towards the future.

They were to start over...

But Commander Mars always held him back.

* * *

**Pagebreaker**

* * *

Straightening his tie, the sixteen year old smiled. It was his night off, and while Samus was still working, he intended on spending it relaxing in his dingy room. He had some inspiration to paint again.

A lot had changed since they escaped the Human Containment Ward four months ago. Samus had learned how to properly use a pencil and read her first book by herself while Marth had started learning a secret makeup technique from the Chozo (to hide his scars so he wouldn't scare customers). As he worked as a bar tender at night, most of his days were free and Marth had taken up some of his childhood hobbies. Preparing tea parties, reading, calligraphy and, his favourite, painting again. Indulging in himself was more fun then Marth had imagined; and it kept his thoughts distracted.

He seemed to be settling into a loose routine and enjoyed this simplistic lifestyle. No responsibilities and less ties then before. Sure he was sick to his stomach everyday (porn and loose morals did that to a young mind), but it was much better then being back in that tiny room with no window.

Marth sometimes blocked the containment ward out of his mind for his own comfort. It worked most of the time and for a few hours, Marth could experience a taste of freedom. Then his guilt would come back to haunt him and ask 'did he deserve to escape?' 'Did he deserve a second chance?"

He liked Mondays; all he had to do was throw out the trash and he could go back to relax. Marth walked out to the bins- which were located in a small, dim alleyway. The night was chilly and the only source of light was a flickering, grotty lamp. It took him a while to find the quiet, isolated bins. Marth dumped the bag in and turned around, ready to go back.

"... Excuse me. Would you happen to know where Samantha Aran is?" Marth froze. He quickly turned around to see a tall man- a few years older then himself- come out of the shadows as if from thin air. The older bluenette's tone seemed innocent and friendly enough but Marth was instantly cautious. Not because the strange man just happened to be hiding behind a desolate bin, but because of the name he used.

How did he know Samus? They weren't supposed to use their real names in public. Marth was 'Scars' and Samus was 'The Orange Lily.' It had been like that for the last few months and no one should have known their real names for the sake of their own protection against the furries.

Did he work for the furries?

Marth was aware of the political climate change: no more was he ignorant. He could see right in front of him the human persecutions and discrimination. He was with the rest of humanity now... hating furries. Well... not with the rest of humanity. He still avoided them as much as possible to prevent...

Marth stared at the cane-wielding man again. The tall, muscular man wore a black top-hat with a green ribbon and his outfit consisted of a black trench-coat with a green trim; no shirt; cream pants and black boots.

He looked human enough... but he could have been a bad guy. Some humans did work for furries- he knew that better then anyone. However, he was acting like a perfect gentleman and had... an essence of independence. For a split second, Marth considered telling him the truth, before his logical thinking kicked back in.

"Umm... sorry. I know no-no one of that name." Marth muttered quickly. Marth had a natural ability to lie- but for some reason he was trembling. He was really nervous. Why was he? Was it that man, staring at him with cold, dark obsidian eyes?"

"Are you sure?" the stranger asked, still in a curt voice.

"Yes. I don't know anyone by that name."

"... You're lying. Why are you lying?" The man asked, sounding darkly disappointed. Marth wasn't technically lying. He really wasn't supposed to know who Samus was. He really shouldn't have felt scared or guilty. He did. That didn't stop him from trembling as the figure stepped towards him, backing him into a corner. "I asked you once and I'm going to ask you one more time... where is Samantha?"

"I don't know!" Marth whimpered as he backed away. "I'm just a simple bartender! Leave me alone!"

"... I didn't want it to come to this... Commander Mars. I was just going to get information and go... but let's see if I can't coax this out of you." Marth froze. Not even Samus knew he was Commander Mars. No one was supposed to remember who he was- he was purposely censored from every record, that Marth had researched, in order to keep the Planetary Commander activities a secret. How did this man know his true identity?

It didn't matter. Marth yelped as the man pushed him back into the wall and smirked. Lust danced in the stranger's obsidian eyes and his grip tightened the young man's gloved wrists. Marth yelled out for help but he knew it was fruitless. Everyone would be in the nightclub- the music would kill his protests. He was well and truly trapped.

"Let me go!"

"It'll be more pleasurable for you if you relax." The bluenette pointed out, his irritation was evident and Marth could see the situation he was placed in. "This is your last chance... tell me where Samantha is... I need to see her."

"Stop it! Go away!"

"Just... relax," The muscular man whispered before he kissed Marth deeply. He stepped forward, pushing Marth's wrists back into the wall and slotting his leg between Marth's. Marth knew he was going to be raped and... he was going to try and fight back.

Marth closed his eyes and tried to resist the temptation of kissing the stranger back. He kicked. He struggled and groaned. He even attempted to bite the man's tongue.

However, the man was more powerful and he easily ripped off the grey shirt and Marth's tie. Marth's scars were revealed for the whole world to see.

The bluenette brushed his coarse, hard fingers against Marth's tender nipples making the young male wince. Marth felt growing pressure between his legs and that coaxed a wince from him. He had never had a sexual experience before, and the fact that he was getting raped didn't make the situation less erotic for his body.

The stranger must have been expecting this though, because Marth suddenly gasped in pleasure as his erection was freed from his jeans. The dark-coated fingers slipped into his briefs and played with the head of Marth's cock softly, collecting the pre-cum that had started to pool in the opening. He lifted his fingers up to his mouth and slowly licked his fingers, a seductive gleam in his eyes.

"You're interesting sir. Very interesting indeed."

"Who are you?"

"My name doesn't matter. However, you may address me as 'The Ringmaster' Mr. Lowell." Marth shivered as his eyes caught 'The Ringmaster's'. Dominating and controlling. A gaze that he saw in the mirror all too often. "You're a very handsome man..."

"Don't be nice to me..."

"Hmm?"

"If you're going to rape me then just get it over and done with! Don't be polite with me!"

"Why? Is it because you don't want it or do you think that you don't deserve it?" Marth froze. The Ringmaster laughed. "I was right..." He stroked Marth's member again, staring directly at the teenager.

Marth just shook his head in disagreement. If he opened his mouth, he was afraid that he would moan. So instead, he just bit into his lip and held back any noise that threatened to come out of his mouth.

He suddenly felt 'The Ringmaster's' hand cup his face and Marth opened his eyes slowly. The man was smirking at him and Marth felt his heart skip a beat. He bent down and captured Marth's lips in a kiss. Marth groaned and opened his mouth slightly to let the tongue inside. Their tongues intertwined with each other, mapping out each other's mouth.

Marth could have easily killed him. Killed him and ran off.  
But he would not try hurt anyone again.

The bluenette separated himself from Marth before resting his forehead against the boys. Their eyes stared at each other before an unfamiliar gleam entered the stranger's eyes.

"I think it's time I take this up a notch," The bluenette said in a rough voice.  
Marth's breath picked up slightly as he saw 'The Ringmaster's' hand curled into his hair and roughly pulled his head back. He whimpered slightly at the pain and whined as he felt 'The Ringmaster' nibbling at his neck. He tried to push him off gently to no avail.

The man narrowed his obsidian eyes slightly when he realized that Marth was trying to get loose. Not wanting his subject to be free, he bit into the side of Marth's neck hard. The bartender shouted and resisted the urge to kick the man off him.

"You're pathetic." Marth whimpered. The insult wasn't new. He heard that everyday. Marth suddenly found himself sitting on the hard ground- his legs being lifted up above his head. He watched with wide eyes as the bluenette's gaze traveled down his body in generous curiosity. Marth shivered at the attention and closed his eyes- eager to get this over and done with.

"No one has time to enjoy your suffering because they're suffering themselves." The Ringmaster whispered.

Marth jumped slightly in confusion. He looked up at the muscular man and realised how serious he was. The stranger started pumping Marth's erection slowly; causing the boy to moan softly and shut his eyes. The man kept a close watch on Marth, reveling in the facial expressions that Marth was making. He noticed that another shiver go through Marth before the arousal became harder in his hand.

Moving a hand up, The Ringmaster idly fingered one of Marth's nipples, never slowing down his pumping. Marth's breath hitched before he squirmed under the strong fingers.

"Listen to me... no one enjoys suffering. Even if you say you do, at the end of the day, you feel guilt. People are dying Marth... and you can't bring yourself to help them."

"No...I-I...don't...," Marth trailed off, moaning in-between his broken words.

The man continued his administrations. His hand grew tighter on Marth's cock, his thumb swiping over the head every so often. Marth's hips started to buck involuntarily, trying to get his assaulter to move his hand faster.

"You have all this potential Marth. I've looked you up. You think that you're broken but you're not."

Marth gasped as he felt fingers teasing his cock. They slowly moved down, drawing random patterns on the base of his erection and his balls. One of the bluenette's fingers grazed his entrance, circling the puckered skin.

"But... But..."

"No one is beyond redemption. Not even you..."

"What are you saying?" whimpered Marth.

The Ringmaster just smirked as he continued to abuse Marth's prostate. He rubbed the sensitive spot roughly and pumped his fingers in Marth's entrance. Marth slumped into the ground in defeat and moaned. He felt eyes watching him closely and he opened his eyes. Looking up though, he noticed that the bluenette was looking down at his entrance.

"You can help humanity Marth."

Marth screamed when The Ringmaster's erection slammed inside of him. His eyes were wide and he couldn't keep his strangled moans from escaping. The Bluenette's thrusts were fast and hard, pushing him further into the rough pavement.

"If you really want to atone for your sins, then join me. Tell me where Samantha is and you can join me too. You can make up for everything you done- you can amend everything wrong. I can help you with that."

"I-I..." Marth's head was light and clear. He did want redemption but was what this man was saying true? Could he trust someone who raped him without notice?

On one hand, he could be just lying and making Marth more likely to be submissive. On the other-hand, he knew that he was Commander Mars but he wasn't chastising Marth for it. It was almost like he wanted to help.

Instinctively, Marth wrapped his arms around the Ringmaster's neck and pulled him closer. All of a sudden, the bluenette's thrusts became deeper. Marth felt the pleasure inside of him reach a new level and he could barely warn The Ringmaster about his upcoming climax. However, he didn't seem to need a warning, because his thrusts suddenly slowed.

Then, Marth felt his body being moved up and over.

What if he was lying? What about Samus? He couldn't put her in danger as well. This man was some sort of seductive demon. If they both went, the man might do the same to Samus as he did to him. Could he live with the fact that he put another of his loved ones at risk?

Then, on the slim chance that this man was genuine, would he tell Samus about his past? Would Samus shun him and leave him if she found out about the atrocities he had committed against humanity?

The bluenette's hand sneaked towards Marth's arousal, snapping Marth out of his pained thoughts, and wrapped his fingers around the warm appendage. Marth whimpered before he opened his mouth.

"I- I can't join you or tell you w-where Samantha is!" he groaned.

His back arched back while his hips ground against The Ringmaster's erection. The man grunted deep in his throat before he released inside of Marth's hole. Almost furious, the man continued to thrust into Marth until he rode out the pleasure for the both of them.

"Are you sure? You want a chance to redeem yourself... If you've hurt people in the past- maybe it's time for you to save them."

"I-I can't!" Marth cried. Real tears were flowing down his face.

A few seconds later, The bluenette released Marth from his tight grip and removed his enlarged penis from Marth. The shattered Commander felt boneless and he leaned onto the Ringmaster's chest for support.

The man just sat there for a while before he gently wrapped Marth in his own clothes, like a blanket, and stood up. He dusted his hat and nodded at the trembling victim.

"I'm sorry then that you feel that way. I guess I'll have to try find Samantha on my own... I know she's close." Marth whimpered and looked away. "We'll meet again Marth. Be assured. I do hope you'll reconsider my proposition." And with that, the ringmaster picked up his hat and cane and walked away; leaving Marth to pick himself up and put himself back together.

For a brief second, he felt like calling the Ringmaster back.

He hoped they wouldn't meet again.

Marth never did tell Samus about the man looking for her. He never did say what he wanted to say to ger- about who he really was.

He never forgot about that experience. Every time he pushed it back to his mind- the prospect of redemption would pop back into his head. He ignored it mostly- it was impossible for Commander Mars to be saved.

Marth didn't meet Ringmaster Ike until a few months later- sooner then he had hoped for- in the Chozo Stripper Bar where he worked. It was that same day where he opened the door and let the acrobat Samus Aran and the broken Marth into his world.

They say that some people are born to do evil. Their eyes are black as coal and no light can pass their abyss. These evil ones do not cry when they emerge from the womb. These children are destined to do terrible things. The children are said to have a heart, but no soul inside. Commander Mars could never be redeemed. His sins could never be forgiven. He could never have eternal peace.

But maybe Clown Marth could.

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**A/N: If you can't figure out MidKnight's identity, I swear I will kick you. Also, I've noticed I'm exploiting the fact that Circo de la Luna is now an M-Rated story... really well XD**

**Fun Facts: This chapter is the longest: Double of the Circus performance scene.**

**Marth is scared of small spaces ONLY if he can't see the outside. (It reflects his state of mind) So small rooms with windows or elevators with clear roofs are fine.**

**The potential of ALL the Planetary Commanders are at the same or HIGHER level then Marth. ...Interpret that how you wish.**

**Questions for all of you: Why did Ringmaster Ike rape Marth in order to get his attention?**

**What was your favourite part?**

**Whose backstory do you want to see next?**

**Happy Valentines' Day! Leave me a review to say my efforts on this chapter weren't in vain!**

**REVIEW!**


	26. Everchanging Silence

**Circo De la Luna**

**Me no own SSB in any form! Why you think that?**

**Special thanks to Merrom Noire for betaing and PitFTW for the great guidance!**

**Another development chapter, building on the archs we already have and sneaking in a new one!**

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"Darling. Could you help me with the Ivysaur powder? I find it hard to boil by myself."

The other head smiled as he turned to kiss the brunette's cheek. After listening to his sister's light giggle, Popo raised his right hand and switched on the Bunsen burner, sending a large gold flame up that quickly turned blue. Seamlessly as always, the two reached over and pulled a large, pink bulb up from its jar and squeezed it, letting red grains of pollen out into the vial. It smelt divine as the two placed the glass container over the fire, slowly beginning to melt and break down the grains into a rose-scented liquid.

"Thank you my precious husband."

"Tis not a problem my sweet wife. Anything for you." He kissed her again. "Now we just wait eighteen minutes or eighty? In the past when we do it, I am never sure."

"My husband, it is both. It has been always eighteen for the juice to induce sleep and eighty for it to be solid."

"Ah, I apologise, my dear sister, for forgetting. You are so intelligent as well as beautiful."

"Nay brother, I am only a fraction of the loveliness that you are."

"Oh, Nana..." The male's hand cupped her cheek.

"Popo..." The two leaned in for a kiss.

"I really need to start marketing those posters of you two. Twincest with an extra head... why did that never become official?"

The Ice Jester placed two pairs of eyes on the man behind them. The dark figure wasn't even looking at them, but Popo could tell that the ringmaster was highly amused.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to spend some quality time with my husband."

"If I could do my work somewhere else, I would. I need to watch that Star Warrior instead of letting Sheik and Link display their usual foolishness." The ringmaster picked up a small beaker off the wall and threw its contents on a large sheet of paper, his smile dipping slightly as the formula bubbled.

As much as Popo loved his master, he really wanted him to finish his plans so he could get the hell out of their room. It was Sunday, their special day of rest, and it was usually around this time when Popo and Nana spent some quality time together. They couldn't do all the things they wanted to do while someone was watching... so they settled with getting some work done- much to their chagrin.

While the others had set their rooms in styles that reflected their personalities or in styles they enjoyed, Nana and Popo had set their bedroom to dual-function as a laboratory. They worked in it to aid the group with medical cures and poisons for the enemy. It was understandable given their past lives: when the twins weren't being love-struck, incestuous rabbits, they were studying diligently- particularly the twin sciences of biology and chemistry. The two were accomplished scholars and practitioners with brains that were unaffected when they were sewn together (save for the additional craving for gore). Their idle time in the circus was spent developing new formulae to assist the circus.

The air-conditioner kept their bedroom to almost freezing temperatures (low enough to force Ike to wear a shirt) and gave the room a very unsettling edge to visitors. There was a counter, where the twins were currently working, that used their bed as a stool and was covered completely with stable glass beakers and equipment- all filled with strange mixtures from even stranger ingredients. The walls, painted blue and pink, were also in a state of disarray as needles and more equipment were plastered across the walls, almost like a creepy showcase of a mad scientist's works.

Ike was sitting in the only chair, large with a chin clamp attached to said chair. The chair doubled as a torture device which could hold people in. The ringmaster sat there, staring at his papers and scribbled notes all over the place. It wasn't like Popo could ask him to leave, even if he wanted to. Ike needed their bedroom/lab for the good of their newest mission. He needed the creepy L.E.D light hanging over him so he could test some plans; he needed the strange chemicals to check his work and he needed their homemade, solar-powered computer (the only 'real' technology they had in the circus) to do some quick source-checks.

"Popo? You're tilting the vial."

The brunette snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to his concoction. He helped his sister straighten it. The pollen had not melted but had gone from red to golden.

"I apologise dear sister. I was distracted."

"By what, brother? What troubles you?"

"That we didn't get to do anything... special today."

Nana laughed and kissed his cheek affectionately.

"My husband, you must not be well. Being with you makes everything special."

The two stared at each other and smiled in contented silence. Well... for most part it was silent...

"No... the building's plans were changed last year. I know that the security is tighter than this."

Popo turned his head again to see the black-coated man, mumbling to himself as he scribbled away on the large sheet of paper.

"The schedules look in order but I think I need three more to make sure... and then the employees need to have another cross reference. I think I need to call him again... and I need to find that engineer's plans..." In the past, Ike had spent a lot of time conspiring in the twins room, but this was the longest that he was there. The ringmaster had been lurking in their room for the last twenty-nine hours, not even bothering to eat or sleep. "And that company isn't in service... I wonder if AJ's..."

"Master, what do need us to do? When we're done with the brew, do you need anything soon?" Nana asked suddenly. The ringmaster stared at the short double person before scowling again.

"I need better insight for the next mission. I want to get it done before the end of this week."

Popo raised an eyebrow. Whenever the ringmaster planned a mission, he wanted to take his time and make sure everything was perfect. To see the man actually rush was concerning to the twins. What was so important? And why was he rushing now when nearly half of their circus was unable to do a thing. "But you can get me more Fuzzy Powder."

"We haven't caught a Fuzzy in ages. Our stocks are low." Regardless, Popo pointed to the shelf. Ike grabbed the test tube and pocketed it before sitting back into the chair. "What are you planning master?"

"A heist... my little Heisty." He gave a light chuckle, although the twins didn't get the joke. The man slipped back into seriousness. "We're going to rob Outer Heaven in Galzburg. There are things we need to get before they're transported out."

"Outer Heaven?" Nana asked. "Didn't Snake rob there before he joined the circus? If he could do it, why are you so worried?" Ike raised an eyebrow.

"That was nearly sixty years ago. You do keep up with furry news right? I told everyone to have up to date knowledge on every aspect of our enemies." The twins chuckled nervously and looked away. Only Ike was that paranoid and could be bothered. Half the circus preferred to procrastinate and the other half preferred to screw- who had time to read? "Anyway... according my sources, the place has been renovated so much that it's now more like a fortress then a research facility. That's why I'm 'worried'... any questions?" The ringmaster hissed.

"No sir!"

"Good... now... this should be done by tomorrow if I don't sleep tonight. So I'll debrief you all at noon. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Now let's hope the rest of those morons are ready and all the preparations are set."

* * *

At this rate, they weren't going anywhere. The red-head scowled. The ignition system's distributor wasn't working. The old eight wires weren't connected to the spark plugs properly... the damage would take at least a few days to fix because of their lack of resources. Roy grabbed the discarded skateboard and lay back on it so he could check underneath the caravan. Hopefully the problem wasn't as bad as he thought and the problem was just the wild driving of the knife-thrower had dislocated one of the oil tubes.

The teenager analyzed underneath the automobile, occasionally tinkering with the joints, in silence. Roy didn't like the silence. However, with everyone off and about with their own problems, Roy couldn't bring himself to ask someone to hang out with him. Pit was still in depression; Sheik and Link were watching Kay One Bee; Mrs. Mario was meditating and the ringmaster and the Ice Jester were conspiring against the government. That just left Samus and Marth... but he really couldn't talk to them right then.

Marth...

After Marth had described some sort of monster in his head, he had begun clawing at his own skin. Despite the red-head's best efforts to calm him, the clown continued to break down until Roy had to resort to calling for help. Samus immediately came running to his aid. The blonde held Marth and sat him on the bed, reassuring him gently until he was still.

Roy watched as the clown began telling Samus about his life before the circus. He listened in horrible awe as Marth detailed about his heinous crimes against humanity and the terrible pain he had been inflicted. This explained why he freaked out when he killed that Lucario. Roy couldn't begin to imagine how Marth could live with his guilt. He had gotten to the part where Marth was describing his rape when he just completely broke down sobbing. A part of Roy wanted to stay but Samus told him to leave. He complied of course. He couldn't intrude and make Marth uncomfortable, like he knew he would inevitably do.

He then went to the ringmaster to give him a piece of his mind, and a serving of his fist. He failed again- being handed a toolbox and having the door slammed in his face before he got a word out. That's why he was out fixing the cars, giving them another checkup instead of helping where he wanted to help most.

Roy slammed his fist on the metal, not even wincing when the pain started throbbing.

Being in love was too complicated.

There were rules that he had to follow so he didn't look like a complete idiot. There were limits that he had to abide to not appear too clingy to his 'friend'. All Roy wanted was his attention even if he never got his affection. He knew he was a bad person wanting something as selfish as that, especially from the political climate, but he couldn't help it. Learning about Marth's past didn't offset him. In fact, it made him want to be even closer to Marth...

Maybe he was really an idiot.

"Roy? Roy!"

"Gah!" Roy groaned as he hit his head at the sudden voice. "Ow... Pit... don't scare me!"

"Hey bro... have you seen Samus? I need to talk to her." Pit had startled him. Wincing, Roy slid out from underneath the engine of the caravan, only vaguely noticing that oil all over his bare chest and body. He was about to scold his winged friend when he noticed him standing by the engine, looking like a mess. Dark circles were around his eyes (probably due to lack of sleep) and his body was completely pale. Roy's words were lost and he was tempted to hug his younger friend. He withheld the urge when he locked eyes with the strongman- Pit didn't like sympathy. "I said, have you seen Samus?"

"She's with Marth." The red-head began wiping his hands on a rag that had been stashed in his pocket. "I don't think you should disturb them..."

"Oh... okay." For the first time ever, Roy realised that Pit was acting extremely submissive. His eyes were downcast, he was mumbling a little and... he just didn't seem like a strongman. He wasn't holding that confident, playboy attitude that he had grown used to.

Something was wrong.

Pit didn't look well. Although all the circus members were thin, much like Marth, Pit looked very sickly. There were bags around his eyes and he looked like would collapse in exhaustion anytime. Many warning sirens in his head told Roy to go and put that sleep-deprived moron to bed. However, Roy did nothing.

"Is there something I can help with, Pit?" The angel shook his head. "Can Peach help? You know she's good with sorting problems." He shook his head again. Roy frowned.

"Come on Pit, you have to talk to someone if you have a problem."

"It has to be Samus. She's involved with the problem and I want her to fix it." The fiery boy turned away and grabbed a spanner. He gave a small snarl as he began banging on the main truck's carbonator.

Samus.

Samus.

Samus.

Everyone wanted her. Everyone needed her help.

Marth... Pit... everyone he held dear. It was always Samus.

It was starting to annoy Roy.

Pit was quiet but Roy knew he was still there.

He tried to ignore him and focus on fixing the cars. Judging by the mess, Roy knew that it was just Sheik's crazy driving that killed the power. He had to fix it... the machines were the only things that the 'idiot' could fix.

Samus was the one who fixed personal problems if Peach didn't. Roy knew that his jealousy was irrational, but he couldn't help it. He envied her. He really did.

"You can tell me anything..." Roy said aloud. "You know that right bro?"

Pit nodded behind him. "Yeah..."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. The only sound that passed between them was the tapping and grinding of Roy at work. It was unusual to have such silence in a hectic area. "Hey Roy..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry I haven't talked to you much lately. I know you've been trying to cheer me up but... it's complicated."

"Nah. It's okay. I respect that you have to have some secrets you don't share with me. Sorry if I seem annoying." Why did everyone assume that just because it was 'complicated', he couldn't understand it?

"..."

"I'm fine. You're the one who isn't. As your brother, I want you to go and see Samus tomorrow morning so you can go back to being your happy self and you can go fuck her senseless. My orders." Pit raised his eyebrow when Roy cussed but smirked all the same.

"And here I thought you had no idea of how babies were made. Heaven forbid; Roy knows how to reproduce."

"I'm not that stupid. I might pretend not to know and I might not have a lot of common sense, but I'm not completely stupid."

"...I know I'm the one who needs help... but how 'bout you? You sound pissed Roy. Can I help?"

"Nah." Roy lied. "Stupid shaft isn't moving right."

"Oh. Okay. You sure that's it?"

"Positive brother." The two descended into another silence. There was the slightest layer of tension that just sat there- mostly due to Roy's building thoughts. There were so many changes that Roy hated. He wanted the old circus back: when Sheik was a sociopath who didn't try to kill her sister every twenty seconds; when Link wasn't always trying to find his humanity; when Marth was just a happy, innocent clown; when Pit wasn't depressed; he wanted it all back. He wished that assassin and Zelda never came into the circus so that everyone could be like they used to be. He hated change.

"Hey... Roy?" Pit piped up from nowhere

"Hmm?"

"Do you hear that?" Roy lifted his head from under the caravan's hood. It was gentle music but neither of them had ever heard the instrument before. It was loud, clear and almost indescribable. The melody swayed in the wind, as if it was making the gentle breeze move in time with it.

"Yeah... what is it?" The tempo was slow and filled of mourning. It invaded their ears like cold air and appeased their ears. The pyromaniac slowly put down his tools and sat next to Pit, admiring the complicated music.

"I've never heard this instrument before. Do you think Mrs. M found something?" He whispered, almost scared that his voice would shatter the fragile song.

"I don't know. Most of her musical instruments are old. This one..." The two just sat there, leaning against the caravan, in silence, absorbing the foreign instrument's sound. Pit yawned and lay his head on Roy's shoulder. "It's so sad... it's grey..."

"Yeah..." Roy looked down at his friend. "Get some sleep..."

"It's two in the afternoon... I'm not tired..." croaked Pit as his fatigue finally caught up with him. The slow music lulled him to sleep and Roy smirked as he saw the younger boy slowly shut his eyes.

"Night Pit... sleep well." He sighed as he stared up at the blue skies, listening to the mournful harmony.

* * *

Peach loved music. Even as a child, she was adept at playing a wide variety of instruments; the guitar, the flute, the violin and her favourite, the piano. Every moment she had, when her mother wasn't dictating her youth, was spent tapping away on the piano- composing her own eloquent music.

It had been many decades since the woman had even seen a piano; so when she heard the delicate notes being played, she dashed off to find the source.

Music wasn't something often thought about in such dangerous times. Even though they did have a guitar and some bongos for campfire sing-a-longs, no one really had time to listen or learn how to play an instrument. She had taught Ike how to play as many songs as she could, but she knew that he never really took interest. It was understandable, with him being busy, but upsetting that no one really had the same passion that she had. As she ran closer to Samus' shared caravan, she began to recognise the new melody. She slowed her paced and stopped, listening to it for confirmation. Could it really be...?

Astonished, the woman opened the door quietly and crept inside. Usually, she wouldn't do such a thing, but she was cautious. They didn't have a piano in the circus and Samus had no musical ability whatsoever. Who was in the room? Why were they playing those songs?

Light flooded into the dimmed room but the music didn't stop. Gently, the Lucario woman shut the door and turned to look at the yellow-painted room. All the furniture had been pushed to one end, the lights had been switched off and the curtains were drawn. The only light that could be seen was from a few unfamiliar candles, illuminating the faint outline of a keyboard and a figure playing that familiar melody on it.

_"You betrayed me._  
_Again and again..._  
_Now I find that I'll have to move on._  
_You... you won't find me where you left me._

_It will hurt. Yes it will._  
_But time will heal._  
_Now I'm moving on._  
_Goodbye._  
_I have the stars now to... guide... me home."_The notes finally finished and the figure sat in silence for a long period of time, just breathing slowly. Peach waited as long as she deemed polite before she tapped lightly on the wall (although she was sure that the figure was aware of her presence).

"That was amazing, you're a really good player." The figure turned around to see the elderly woman.

"Oh... it's you..." Peach could sense Zelda's resentment to her. She understood it completely just by reading her face and using her aura powers. Peach was practically a furry with her anthropomorphic parts and yet she was fully accepted within the circus. Zelda was a human and she struggled to adapt to her new environment and coworkers. "What do you want?"

"I'm just an old woman who wants to enjoy some music," she said truthfully as she walked over and sat on Samus' bed. "Is that so wrong?"

"...You're not going to say anything to me?" Peach looked at her sympathetically. She was under the impression that Zelda had been alone for a very long time.

"If you don't want me to." The brunette seemed to accept that. She turned back to the keyboard and positioned her fingers.

"Any requests?" She asked, the lightest tone of sarcasm in her voice. The blonde shook her head.

"Play me something you like. I love music in all of its forms." Zelda's open, burnt eyeball swiveled in its socket to look at her.

"And here I was under the impression that everyone here was uncultured." Peach smiled back gently and Zelda began to play more fragile notes.

Peach closed her eyes and allowed herself to be consumed by the familiar melody, smiling as the Hylian's long fingers held and touched the keys. They whispered of hope and desire like the song was meant to be played but it had a little of Zelda's own flair to it. Her anguish, her story was in the song. Zelda may have had a refined composure; but it was only a wall.

As the notes continued, Peach realised how much this song meant to Zelda. Was she really the arrogant woman that the others first assumed? Zelda started playing the bridge. It was a lone melody only played with the left hand. Peach could hear Zelda's struggle to play because of her injuries but admired how she persevered through it. Why did Zelda want to kill her sister so badly? Did she really want revenge? The whole circus had often heard Sheik's psychopathic rant about her pride and her 'ugliness' but Peach could never find herself giving credit to this story. Not because she didn't trust or love Sheik, but because that Sheik was seriously mentally ill. Some of the things Sheik said or did couldn't be accredited for. That wasn't to say Sheik didn't know what happened to her past- it just left Peach thinking that there was a whole other side to the relationship that the Harikan sisters hadn't told anyone. A missing page of the story. It was the final chorus and Zelda had begun singing in her soft, whimsical voice. In a few lines, Peach caught the infectious desire and began harmonizing.

_"...And the bare birds still keep crying  
'Cause they know they can't fly out.  
The children's hearts still are dying  
'Cause they don't believe in the world anymore._

_But I still believe that I can fight for my cause.  
For my cause. _

_So I'll be the revolution.  
I'll be the revolution.  
I'll be the revolution and... finally...  
Break out of this... cage."_

Zelda's hands lifted from the chord and she stared at Peach. Silence followed as the two sets of blue eyes locked with each other.

"How do you know that song?" Zelda demanded. Peach calmly looked at her, the simplest of smiles still on her face.

"I don't know what you're asking of me."

"That song... it's one of the songs from my grandmother's time when humans were still free. I only know it myself because I found some old CDs buried in my basement. I thought no one knew it..." Zelda's voice trailed off.

"Is it now?"

"The artist is my favourite. She was a really big inspiration for me. I think she impacted my life... I think I was listening to one of her songs when I decided to go look for my sister." The blonde nodded. "She disappeared around fifty years ago because apparently some murderer attacked her and her manager with a chainsaw." Peach suddenly frowned, obviously upset with this information. That was the story people had spread?

"I see..."

"You still haven't answered my question." Peach shook her head.

"What was her name?" Zelda looked unimpressed that Peach had avoided her again. "...Her stage name was Princess Toadstool. She was a really big hit in her time... but I think her real name was..." Zelda's right eye widened. She quickly used her magic to flick on the lights and rummaged through the small, seemingly bottomless haversack that the magician had upon her arrival. The diva was pleasantly surprised when Zelda pulled out one of her favourite albums. "No way... you're still alive." The Hylian stared at her, completely shocked. "You're... you're Peach Yamase?"

"I go by Peach Mario now or just Diva now." Peach couldn't help but giggle at Zelda's astonished expression. "I forgive you by the way." She could almost feel the awkward radiate off Zelda and the things she wanted to apologise.

"Who's your husband? Is it one of the circus members?" She obviously had a lot to say to the woman; but a last-ditch effort to control herself only let those two questions out. Peach's expression faltered slightly and she gave a long sigh, more appropriate for a woman of her mental age.

"My sweet Mario... he's... left this world." Zelda widened her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring bad memories out." She paused. "May Nayru watch his soul."

"Thank you dearie..." The half-Lucario woman and the two-faced girl both sat in silence before Peach suddenly stood up, ready to leave. "I'm dreadfully sorry I've interrupted your practice. I'll go now."

"Oh no!" Zelda said. "I mean... I was practicing but you didn't interrupt it! I mean... you seem upset now. I'm sorry... I... can... can I try cheer you up?" Peach turned and noticed that it wasn't just Zelda 'sucking up' to her idol, but she was genuinely apologetic and concerned for the blonde psychic.

"Alright." Suddenly earnest, Zelda waved her arms. The diva watched as all of the furniture moved into their respective places, the keyboard disappeared into the bag and a small radio came out. Peach watched as Zelda quickly placed the CD in and pressed play. A lively tune jammed out that Peach recognised as the dance mix of one of her old songs. Such fond, vivid memories. Zelda began to do clumsy, silly twirls (that seemed very out of character) causing the Lucario woman to laugh at her attempts to dance.

"I remember you said that dancing was one of the few things you enjoyed... in a magazine. I'm not sure if it's still the same as now but..."

"Don't worry Zelda. It still is. Some things never change." Peach laughed.

She smiled as she took Zelda hand and the two began to dance to the groovy tune into the night; the two mourning women enjoying one another's company.

It was the start of a very beautiful friendship.

* * *

**You do realise that all you know from Nana and Popo's history chapter is that they were in love. Also you realised that Nana isn't the most reliable storyteller...**

**Updates will be slow- I'm trying to bring my grades up and... well... anyone keeping up with my DeviantArt journals will know the psychological anguish I'm going through now...**

**So anyway! Enough sad stuff! Kay One Bee action will be in the next chapter as well as more and more development. So review and here are some questions for you.**

**What do you think is hidden in the Outer Heaven?**

**Who's the liar? Sheik or Zelda or neither?**

**What's your favourite pairing as of now?**

**REVIEWWWWW!  
**


	27. The end of the Circus

**Circo De la Luna**

**No ownership...**

**After exams and life getting me down, I can't take it any more. I've gone through so much depression that it's only because of a few people that I'm still here.**

**Hahaha... who am I kidding? Who actually still reads this shitfest?**

* * *

It was a vicious beast.

It was horrible in every aspect and no one could save her from it. Even after all this time, it would creep into her room and nibble at her body- injecting her with the poison of 'longing.' A long time ago, she thought she had found the perfect ward for the beast and thought that she was going to be protected eternity.

But eternity didn't last forever.

Her ward was crumbling and the beast was back. As if angered by being away for so long, it began to take bigger bites and injecting her with an even stronger pheromone that caused her to sit up right in her bed, clutch her stomach and cry.

Loneliness was consuming her.

"Mario... Mario... please give me strength..." she muttered quietly: a repetitive prayer. The night was cold and unforgiving; the world was unmoving and had the essence of regret in the air. The woman continued her soft murmuring, saying the same words she would chant when she ever felt scared or alone. The beautiful blonde had been saying the same words more often these days. She needed the comfort.

Because her family was falling apart.

It didn't take a genius to see that the circus was in chaos but it took a mother to see how deeply damaged ties were. Only she could really see under the facade and see the true turmoil of her children.

Samus was trying too hard to be strong for everyone. She was running around trying to console both Pit and Marth and be a venting post for Sheik. Although this was Peach's job, to be the comforter, it had somehow been passed to the younger woman; who could interact with the three on a more personal level. The extra work was taking a toll on her, as she looked like she could break any second.

Pit had his mind poisoned. Ever since that fight, Pit seemed to have lost all emotion. He wouldn't eat; he wouldn't sleep; he wouldn't have sex; he wouldn't do anything. Peach had read his mind and was appalled with what she saw. He was trying to test his humanity: starvation, deprival, degradation... suicide attempts. Peach had tried to comfort him but Pit... Pit just kept finding differences between himself and everyone else.

Roy was jealous. Of Samus. Of Ike. Of everyone. Not only did he want to be accepted by Marth but he wanted the others to look at him too. He always wanted to be useful but people dismissed him as a fool. The red-head felt neglected. Yet he was too arrogant to receive the comfort Peach gave him. He was a proud, intelligent boy but covered it with naivety and lies so well that most of the circus was deceived by his illusion.

Marth's facade was slipping. His mental barriers used to be so well put up, even Peach's powers couldn't detect what he was thinking. After his recent mental breakdown, all of the inner demons and his mental secrets were allowed to surface and the woman's telepathy could pick up everything. Now... all of the bluenette's hatred for himself, and what he was, were exposed: the emotions were so loud that Peach had to make a conscious effort to tune the man out.

Link couldn't even bring himself to look in the mirror. Ever since Zelda arrived, he had been questioning his identity as a human and a... creature. He was noticing changes in his body and he was so scared of what he might see. While Peach had a Lucario's body, which had humanoid properties, Link was transformed from a healthy lion. He could constantly feel a beast inside of him and he was beginning to notice more animal-like qualities in himself. Now he couldn't decide if he was now half man and half lion or half lion and half man.

Sheik was insane. The sociopathic woman had always had three sides to her: a mature 'normal' snarking bitch; the psychopathic murderess that made no sense; and a hidden third side. Peach could always sense the mood the blonde was in and she could deal with it accordingly... but she was growing worried. With her sister's arrival, Sheik was becoming less 'normal' and more destructive. There were so many nights she had to pry a jagged knife out of the woman's hand, right before she seriously killed one of her friends.

Zelda couldn't adapt to the madness. She was confused with how Peach could accept herself as she was. She didn't know how to accept her sister or Link. She wanted to, but she couldn't kill either of the two. She couldn't understand Ike or what being a circus member entitled. Zelda was a haughty, young woman and was used to being all knowing. The circus was a madhouse for her and she was just so lost and confused.

Even the Ice Jester was shattering. Nana broke down into tears at random hours while Popo began to dream and become more reserved. Thankfully, their problems were far less severe then the other's. The twins could use each other for comfort and Peach wasn't needed. Yet still, the mother worried: they were so dependent on each other now, even more then before, and the aura could think nothing good of it.

And of course, her baby, Ike. So distant and so cold because of an ideology that she wished he never adopted. It had saved them countless of times, but Peach selfishly wanted her son back. Was that wrong to ask? To have her family as it used to be?

Her family was crumbling.

Soon it would be gone.

Even if they somehow managed to stay together, she would probably outlive them all and watch them fade away anyway. She had already watched one circus die: so why not another? What was stopping the ugly monster from coming back?

What else had she lost?

Pulling up her black hood, the half-Pokemon walked out of her dull red caravan into the chilling night. Terror danced around her and the cold wind tinkered on her metallic spine. The soft pads of her feet soundlessly trod on the ground as she made it towards the storage caravan.

"Hey Mrs. M." The Lucario woman looked up to see Sheik, lying on the caravan roof boredly, knives laid on her belly. "Going to see the bastard again?" She nodded and Sheik gave a 'titch,' leaving her to do whatever the blue woman wanted. With her gentle strength, Peach removed the heavy locks on prisoner's door and slipped inside.

Avoiding the traps still wasn't an easy task. Even with her aura, Peach had to be careful in where she stood. Ike had always been brilliant at making life-death situations and this was one of his more ingenious traps.

"So... you're back again." Kay One Bee. Now, with the dirt removed, Peach could see his stunning blue eyes and the bright pink colour of his body- tarnished with only his own blood. The upside-down prisoner watched the old woman sit down on her chair, staring calmly at him from the shadows of her cloak. He blinked, realising she was saying nothing as she would normally do whenever they began to talk. "So... how are you?" The poyonesian said civilly, as if they were sharing tea. "I was doing fine until that blue-haired monster coaxed me out into saying more information then I cared to admit. Do you like the torture he inflicts on us?"

"I am not responsible for others' actions. I do not command or order anyone." She said simply. "Whatever we do is of our freewill, unlike what you anthropomorphs do." The furry paused for a moment.

"Your... um... family... murders right? You say you're not like us: but you are." The woman didn't respond. "And you, Peach Esmerelda Toadstool-Mario... you're a lot more like us then them. Calm... logical... and fair..."

"Fair?" She knew that he was playing her. He was taking advantage of her frazzled state but allowed him to play her like an instrument; manipulated to perform the actions according to the page.

"Yes fair... you know how to uphold your end of a bargain. Shall we continue today?" The woman nodded. "Remember our agreement: loosen one chain for me and I'll tell you another fact about Luka." There were so many chains holding him down... surely a few less metal bonds wouldn't allow him to escape right? Peach desperately wanted to know what life she had stolen away. She wanted to know about her body's son: The Lucario that Marth had slaughtered.

"Luka... Luka is his real name. A sloppy, abbreviated version of Lucario, but it was his name nevertheless."

Click.

"Your body was killed when he was but a pup. It was early morning, in a peaceful forest cave, when your body was abducted. He was confused but your body protected him from that stupid husband of yours and his brother. Kicking and screaming, your 'family' ripped the little one's only relative away from him."

Click.

"He wanted revenge. He knew who killed him. He saw those two murderers. He followed them and saw you! He was disgusted by what his mother's body was made into. Into you."

Click.

"It was a miracle that he wasn't caught by your mangey circus. He went to alert police but, by then, your freakshow had gone. Sometime later, he became one of the Star Warriors. He trained after me, of course. Finest of his class. I chose him because of how powerful and hardworking he was. We did have many pleasant times together: we shared many a good laugh together. I remember that Luka had a lovely taste in music too."

Click. Clank.

"You know what? I think he probably died happy. You know... just because he got to see his momma again. He saw you... you horrible monstrosity."

Click. Shrrrrttttttkkkkkk.

Too many chains had been dropped. Kirby had manipulated the hideously broken woman perfectly. With a quick transformation into a stone, all of the traps were dropped.

He was free.

It was time to strike.

And everything burned.

* * *

**Contrary to the title, Circo de la Luna hasn't ended. **

**Well... unless you want it to end. I really don't know anymore.**

**Review or whatever, I don't care. **


	28. Burning

**Circo De la Luna**

**I'm pretty sure by now that, if you're here, you'd know I don't own it.**

**Wow. I haven't updated in June... so... how are you all? Me? I'm about to enter the next two months of hell. I'm not even sure why I'm updating.**

**Remember when I said I was taking a hiatus because of exams? I wrote this in three days (no beta. I need a new one) when my exam is on Wednesday. Priorities.**

* * *

The rain. It wasn't like normal rain. It felt like a thousand beads of fire, pelting from the sky and burning her skin. It was hurting her. Everything was hurting her. Things were just going all so very wrong and she didn't know why.

For as long as she could remember there had always been a dull ringing in her head. It was not a very pleasant sound and it hurt her a lot just to hear it. Normally she blocked the painful sound out by yelling but recently the noise had stopped going away. It was always there and it made her felt crazy. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't. She just wanted her head pains to finally go away. She wanted someone to make it stop.

The rain kept hurting her, but it still didn't feel like rain. It was still like fire. All pain was like the fire. Hateful, hateful fire.

Slowly coming around, the injured blonde wiped the dirt off her face and stared up. Her eyes widened and her mind cleared in fear, as she saw the caravan that she had been resting on was now suddenly up in flames. Where was the woman who had gone inside?

"MRS. MARIO! MRS. MARIO!" She screamed, scrambling off the moist ground where she had been thrown to by the explosion. The blonde coughed and ran to the collapsed, flaming caravan. Without thinking about the consequences, she braved the heat and beginning to pull the rubble. "MRS. MARIO! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Her fingers blistered and burnt as they grasped the wood while blood-red eyes desperately looked for the familiar blue woman. This was her fault. She should have never let their mother go inside to see that murderer. Mrs. Mario had only been inside for an hour talking to that freak. It was less than usual... so how did the caravan explode?

"Sheik! What happened?" The woman looked to see the small clown, running up to her. "Oh my Yune... Sheik! The fire is spreading to the other caravans!"

"Fuck that! Mrs. Mario! She's in here somewhere! Help me find her!" Hearing their mother's name had Marth sprinting faster towards the knife-wielder, helping her move the large, burning debris away.

"I don't see her!"

"Fuck you! Use your eyes!" Sheik cursed, pushing over another board. "Mrs. Mario! Where are you?!"

"I don't see her! Are you su-"

"There! There's movement!" Sheik yelled again. Marth looked around but he could see no such thing in the rubble. That was because Sheik's gaze had shifted, locking on someone near the equipment caravan, trying to pry the door open. There was a snarl from her, upon realising who it actually was. "Keep looking for her! I can't let that fucker get away!"

"What? Sheik!" It was too late. Marth watched the woman flip over the mess and head towards the round figure, snarling like a beast. She flicked out her ensemble of needles from the compartments in her sleeves as she ran, her target suddenly coming into focus.

The round figure almost didn't see her coming. Only at the last minute did he hear her. Without wasting a moment he barrel rolled out of the way of her long, hazardous spikes. He stared down at her and she to him as she pulled out the needles lodged the door. She knew what he was thinking. She knew what he believed. He was a furry. He thought of himself better than her: Faster, stronger and smarter in every way.

She would take his arrogance to her advantage.

With a blood-thirsty battle-cry, Sheik charged at him, knives reaching out to tear at Star Warrior. The creature tried to dodge the attack but a few made their mark. The knife-thrower was a skilled blade mistress- her movements nimble and her weapons moving like they were extensions of her arms. The pink creature's eyes widened, already finding it difficult to keep in time to the woman's macabre tango. There were a series of flips and attempted kicks in retaliation but most of the opponent's moves were dodging. He couldn't get himself injured and they both knew that he was weaponless. His had been confiscated upon kidnapping and were kept in the storage room. Sheik just had to keep him out of there.

"Well this is interesting. Someone with enough skill to fight me." Sheik made a stab at him. The pink creature puffed up, dodging, and hovered into the air over her. She yelped and rolled out of the way, just in time, dodging the warrior's transformation ground-pound. There was a small 'poof' and her opponent was back in his original form. "I must admit, for a human, you're very strong Miss Harikian. One of the most competent opponents I've ever faced. Have you ever considered joining out side?" Sheik gave a chilling laugh, casually wiping her wet hair out of her face, before she stamped her foot and spat at him.

"Oh no I fucking haven't. For a walking pink marshmallow you're fucking retarded. Don't play any games with me ya furry, hairless freak! You've messed with the wrong batch of humans." Sheik threw another knife at him. The Star Warrior caught the blade and suddenly smirked, waving it and wielding it as his own sword. Sheik snarled. "Give that back to me you fatherfucker! You give me my knife now! You and all of furry kind are going to pay for my family. Did you hear me? I'm going to crush you like the worm you are, you little piece of shit!"

"What have I done?" The poyonesian rolled forward like a drill. Sheik jumped over him and gave a low kick to him in the back. Almost comically, the creature rolled smack into a tree. "All I did was talk and fight in a manner that was appropriate to the occasion- nothing that your sick, little cesspool hasn't done." The creature picked himself up and dashed, slashing furiously at Sheik's leg. But the blonde didn't flinch. Instead she began to stomp on his face, then kicking him back into the tree like a soccer ball. Without delay, she impaled his soft body with a few of her well-aimed needles.

"You will fucking pay." She growled as she attacked again. The other creature dodged and slid on the mud, getting some distance between them. "You will fucking pay."

"I don't think so. I think I need to put a little girl into her place." Sheik flicked out her whip and sent a thunderous shriek through the air. and then lashed at him.

"Bring it short fry!" The Star Warrior ripped the needles out of his body and pulled himself up. Dodging the furious whip attacks, he flicked out Sheik's jagged knife again and charged into battle with it.

Now adrenaline was really pumping within the two and words were suddenly lost. The desire to kill replaced it. Sheik around rolled on the ground, kicking out her legs and sending the Star Warrior skywards. Gaining a quick advantage, Sheik threw some needles up after him, only to be dismayed when the pink creature turned into stone in midair and let the needles 'ping' off him harmlessly. He plummeted to the ground dangerous and Sheik rolled backwards, out of the way, again.

Sheik flipped herself back up, running up a tree before kicking off it, throwing a barrage of needles at her opponent. He hissed as a few made impact but took refuge behind a tree and shielded himself from most of the attacks. The woman gnashed her teeth as she landed and ran towards the tree again, determined to end this as fast as she could.

He wasn't there.

Suddenly Sheik screamed. Someone grabbed her hair. Her long blonde plait was yanked back by the pink creature and she was flung around in circles like a rag doll. She cried out for help as she was smashed into the side of a tree.

It was a miracle that she didn't have any broken bones; only her usual head pain and a few cuts and bruises that she couldn't check over. Sheik made herself scarce, quickly jumping back from the knife being thrusted at her. Then there was an onslaught of punches which Sheik defended at the cost of losing her current weapon. Damn it. He had knocked it away while she had been trying to block his attack. With a growl she began to kick furiously, all her movements being blocked by her opponent. The small creature was tormenting her and smirking like a madman, as if he knew that he was going to win the fight. His grip tightened around the knife out and he charged at the defenseless, woozy blonde.

The blade drew closer to Sheik but, out of nowhere, she pulled out her own knife and parried. The Star Warrior snarled and made another attack. Sheik parried again. Sparks flew. One. Two. Five hundred. Sheik could hardly see a thing, Everything was a blur and instincts were the only things that were active. The fighting duo moved everywhere, each trying to use the forest to get an advantage over the other. It almost seemed like they were equally matched. Sheik would use her longer limbs to sneak a few cheap shots while Kirby would try and swallow her.

Injuries were made and blood mixed with sweat. Their eyes locked with hatred, illuminated only by the cruel fires in the background. Their battle was a dance, fluid but sharp and stinging at the same time. Their loquacious and well-trained for moves were guided by their feral mindsets. Injuries were made and blood mixed with sweat. Their eyes locked with hatred, illuminated only by the cruel fires in the background.

They pushed for ground on each other too. Sheik would throw him or kick him away from his destination while the Star Warrior would press forward and try and snap Sheik's neck in an effort to get to his desired place Sheik was doing her best to keep the intruder away from the equipment caravan, and was certainly doing a good job, but she was tiring.

She was only human after all.

Her blood was mixing with the rain and running down her body. Her muscles were screaming as Sheik kept executing powerful moves. She didn't want to stop or run. She had to fight: but a person could only fight for so long. However K1B wasn't too fabulous as well. Everyone had a limit and the violently stabbed warrior was no exception. He was already weak from days of torture and sudden rigorous battle wasn't the best method of recovery. It was looking like they'd reach a stalemate.

And the scale tipped.

The whole time the fire had been spreading. The rain hadn't put it out and the flames had crept closer and closer to the duo. The Star Warrior gave a sinister smile and made a break for the flames, Sheik instinctively chasing after him like he predicted. The small puffball opened his mouth and sucked up, swallowing in order to use his power.

There was a flash of light and the pink puffball was now red, adorned with a crown of flames. He suddenly turned heel and headed back towards Sheik. The woman yelped when he slid through her legs and then jump-kicked her in the head. She fell to the ground.

"Burn bitch. Burn."

The ringing in her head suddenly got louder. It was frying her brain. It was hurting her. She wanted it to stop. Sheik gave a terrified scream. She clutched her ears as she felt the fire. The bastard. He was using his new fire powers to burn her alive.

"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" Sheik yelled. It was impossible to differentiate the pain from ringing from the pain from the flames. Her head was hurting. It was hurting. She thrashed and cried. It was hurting so bad. Make it stop. She needed it to stop. She couldn't think. She had to stop thinking. It was hurting. The ringing.

She needed it to stop.

Stop.

St-

* * *

It would have been so easy to end her life.

She was there, all alone, crying on the ground. No one would notice if she killed her. They were all too distracted: the ringmaster and his pet were fighting off the intruder while the others were flailing about, trying to rescue the injured and put out the fires. It was too easy. She would finally have what she wanted.

Cold blue eyes stared at the blonde, squirming pathetically, like a newborn grub. She couldn't understand why the woman covered her pointy ears and why she was screaming but it didn't matter. She would never have another opportunity like this. She was vulnerable. Well exposed and perfect for the taking. Slowly the magician took her sword from her enchanted handbag, raising it to the cloudy skies as if she was performing a ritual. Her revenge would finally be complete and she could rest easy.

Emotionless, she watched as red eyes looked back at her, wide with pain and confusion. Her lips moved, a breath of a woman, but nothing could be heard. The brunette barely even blinked, raising her sword that much higher and preparing for the final blow.

"Zellie..." Sheik whimpered, looking at her sibling. Zelda froze. What did she just call her? What did this cretin just call her? "Zellie... it's bad again Zellie." Sheik's bandaged hands moved away from her ears and she moved onto her side. As best as she could, the blonde scooped up the mud around her, holding it to her chest. Zelda didn't respond. "Zellie... Zellie..."

"What is it?"

Sheik pushed the mud away from her, as if disappointed, and rolled back onto her back, moaning as she did so. "Zellie... are you coming to bed, Zellie? Is it story time?"

"...Story time? What are you talking about?" Zelda hissed. What was this nonsense? She should have struck down this murderous wench. So why hadn't she already? The newly-burnt woman gave another teary wail and nodded.

"Story time... like you promised yesterday at tea time." Still lying on her back, the woman rubbed her eyes with mud and stared up at Zelda. The magician froze. Those red eyes, usually looking so stoic and malicious at her, had been glossed over with a familiar, childish innocence.

"Story Zellie..." Sheik moaned out, tears still streaming down her face. "Don't you remember? You said you'd read it to me because mummy and daddy aren't home tonight. The one about the magic, talking sword. You promised Zellie."

"...I did... didn't I?" Zelda murmured, feeling long lost memories return to her. "'The Sword in the Sky'. The one where the hero and princess go and fight the evil wizard. It was your favourite stories, wasn't it?" Sheik nodded.

"Yeah... you promised. You said you'd read so the ringing stops. You promised Zellie 'cause you're my big sister. My big sister... I love you Zellie. You're the bestest..." she said, looking up and smiling. The sword fell from the brunette's hand into the soft earth beside her and Zelda stood there silently, looking at the dirty girl.

And then she began to cry. Sheik continued to smile up at her while she fell to her knees. Zelda covered her mouth with her hand and began to sob quietly into it. Sheik never could understand. She never would.

"Zellie? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing Shishi," the older sister said, trying to compose herself. She had a mission. She had to kill this person. This monster. She had to get a grip, "I'm just so very tired." Sheik raised a muddy hand, smearing dirt over Zelda's burnt half of her face. Zelda winced while Sheik gave a light giggle.

"Then you can sleep with me tonight. My bed is big enough." Sheik moved further away from Zelda, offering a place in the mud to her. "You can even share Flopsy with me. He helps with sleeping and... Ah! Zellie! Where's Flopsy?"

"Flopsy..." Absent-mindedly Zelda placed a hand to her own ugly face. "Flopsy isn't here Shishi... but close your eyes. I'll go find him."

"Promise?"

"I promise..."

"But what if the meanie furries get me before I go to sleep?"

"I'll protect you as always. I... I... I'll always protect you Shishi. Close your eyes. I'll be here..."

"Oh... okay. You're the bestest Zellie..." Sheik murmured, closing her eyes. Zelda moved closer to her, lifting her head out of the dirt and resting it on her legs. Zelda couldn't stop her crying as she held her hurt, beloved sister closer to her- wishing that she wasn't so emotionally drained so she could perform a healing spell.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there with her slumbering sister but she stayed through the freezing rain, shielding the blonde from water with her body. Her mind and body were so numb that time no longer had a meaning. She must have been there for a while because the ringmaster himself came to get her.

"... long day, huh, you sick slut?" he muttered half-heartedly to the sleeping Harikan sister. Zelda looked up at the bluenette but his face was covered with his black hat. The man knelt down and picked Sheik up, bridal style. "As if I don't need more problems." He turned to Zelda who was still looking down at her knees. "Come on, we're moving locations."

Zelda gave a weak nod. After she stuffed her sword into her small bag she followed the tall man back towards their campsite.

It was a complete mess.

In addition to the original holding area for Kay One Bee: the bathroom; Link's cage; and the equipment caravans had completely burnt down along with their contents. Everything was a horrible mess.

"Where's everyone else?" she croaked.

"Pit and Roy are getting the caravans warmed up. We're giving up the mission on the Outer Heaven and the three of us will be driving to the only safe place I know." The ringmaster growled, as if he knew that the forfeit of their job was a horrible idea.

"Lady Peach? Marth?"

"...Marth and Samus are caring for Lady Peach and you'll be helping them care for her and Sheik. Link is on lookout but he'll be riding with me. The Ice Jester are in their caravan making a few things for me. Medical supplies." He showed her to Roy's room where they were keeping everybody. "We'll be leaving as soon as I call Link back."

"And... what about Kay One Bee?"

"... He got away." Ike gave a nasty snarl. "However, I injured him pretty well. He'll never use is tongue to manipulate anyone ever again." Zelda looked at him questioningly. "All you need to know is that he can only say 'Poyo' now."

Zelda nodded and opened the door for the ringmaster, following him inside.

"Sheik!" Samus yelled, seeing her best friend. Ike pushed her aside and laid the sleeping blonde on the mattress next to Peach's, hiding their conditions from Zelda's view. He then turned and gave a few instructions to Marth before making his way out.

"Make some friends, okay?" He muttered cryptically as he shut the door.

Zelda didn't have much time to dwell on the ringmaster's strange words. She had other things to worry about. The woman moved closer before gasping. Now in proper light she could see the condition of her sister and her idol.

What wasn't hidden by mud revealed that Sheik had ugly red burns all over her lower body. It wrinkled and folded and, even in her sleep, caused Sheik a lot of pain. However, as far as Zelda could see, she wasn't too bad. Her wounds were nothing that would heal but they wouldn't cripple her at all. What worried Zelda was Sheik's mind but she tore her thoughts away from her sister before she could dwell on it too much.

Her focus changed to Mrs. Mario. The woman's Lucario parts had protected her from the blunt of the blow but the fires had done horrors to her body. Everything looked like it had been mutilated out of shape. She was in all sorts of casts so that her melted plating could harden to its proper shape; tubes were inserted into her pumping strange fluids through and a homemade gas mask was also present- over her face so that she could breathe. It was horrible to look at.

There was a small lurch, indicating they had moved off, but Zelda hardly noticed. Why was Peach so badly hurt? Peach was kind, loving and respectful to everyone and everything. She never did anything do deserve this. Neither of them deserved this.

"She's in so much pain..." Samus muttered, looking over Zelda's shoulder. "We can't even give her anesthetics to ease her..." The shorter brunette turned to the blonde and slowly opened her arms. Samus hugged the magician back. "It's too much some days..."

"Samus..."

"Yeah... I know what you mean." Zelda responded. Sheik gave a whining noise in her sleep. Hearing her sister, Zelda removed herself from Samus and then suddenly went back into her handbag. She rummaged through it for a while until she found the item that had lead her to the circus in the first place. A worn, stuffed, pink rabbit. "Sometimes... it's just too much." She muttered, handing the bunny to Sheik. Sheik clung onto the bunny tightly and stopped moaning. A smile returned to her face.

"Zellie..."

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**Welcome to the rebirth.**

**Now a short poll. Should I rewrite the older chapters to fit with the new flow of the story or should I finish first and then rewrite? Tell me in a review!**

**Oh yeah! Reviews! Let's get some reviews pumping! Motivate me for exams and get me inspired for this fic. **

**Special thanks to ADashOfInsanity for practically getting me off my ass and saving my life. I hope you read this and best of luck in your new fandom.**

**So yeah, review.**


	29. Words

**Circo De la Luna**

**I own nothing but no way in hell is this story going under hiatus.**

**Oh and happy Valentines' Day everyone.**

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"My dearest brother, why have you blindfolded me? Are you taking me to a far away place?"

"My sweetest wife, patient, you must be. It is far and will not be any nearer by haste. Trust me, you must. Don't you, dearest?"

"Of course, my husband, you are the best. Though I can smell the smoke and fire, I know your feelings for me are only of desire. Hatred burns strongly in the land, but all I need is your strong and steady hand. Though sulphur could wear down our seams and rocks rip us apart, I do not fear the danger since I own your heart."

"Oh thank you dear, love of my life and enchantress of my dreams. This trip to the volcano will not cause you to fear. Though we hate fire and the heat and desire cold and ice, I think you'll enjoy this banquet of spice."

"I will, since it is a surprise from you. I just wish the others had the chance to experience this too. Yet the others don't have that special someone."

"Their hearts are heavy and weigh a ton. Oh dear, oh dear. Love in our circus is quite a mess, the state of it is something to detest. For example: our acrobat, the woman of flight. Grounded despite her extraordinary might."

"She's torn and cannot decide where to go: to the sinful angel or the clown of shadow. Where does her heart lie? And to which must the woman neglect? Fear of favouring one is tormenting her, that much I can detect. She has always been one for compassion alone but she needs to be as cold as stone. For if she chooses with, not her brain, but her heart then the bonds between muscle, fire and steel will be torn apart. Dearest brother, isn't that a tragedy?"

"Of course sister, and it shouldn't be. Unfortunately, that's not all that is there. The angel and the clown both suffer and despair. Have you not seen the angel cry himself to sleep at night? Or have you not heard him scream when darkness consumes the light?"

"I have. I have. I've seen his wounds; rooted through bloody wings. He thinks that if he could remember certain things, he'd find his happiness. Yet you and I know that it is all an absolute mess."

"My wife is so smart; she knows the contents of his heart. He longs for that beautiful creature of air and though he has strong and fast wings, he'll never catch a single hair. For he respects the clown of the night, who follows her light from a distance."

"What can I say for that poor shady demon? He's not as innocent or care-free as he appears. He tries and tries so hard to keep himself apart but he keeps getting tangled with affairs of the heart. The fire-breather longs for him and will cater to his every whim yet he doesn't know, and if he does then this knowledge is some he doesn't show."

"The flame has no brain. Why can't he see that the way to be happy is to set the truth free? Can't he express that he is jealous over some and fearful of the others? He hides too much! Fire is not to be controlled and contained like a candle, being left on a wick to burn itself and die, but to be set free and to be spread."

"Lovers and liars. Liars and lovers. Our circus is filled with the two."

"Liars and lovers, lovers and liars. It's all so sadly true."

"Oh why my sister, why can't they have love and happiness both straight and true like us? Their weird love-triangle-with-an-extension-cord relationship is kind of a bust."

"Oh brother, you have such a humorous way of explaining. It's almost as hilarious as the witch who's always complaining."

"You mean the magician?"

"Of course! Nothing is more uproarious than that! She really was just a temper-throwing brat. She based her whole life around a silly idea, that killing the knife-thrower would make her cheer."

"When we go back, I guarantee, she'll be at the bedside of her enemy, reading some childish stories. She loves her sister so much so, she's just too proud to let her hatred go.

"But I suppose we must be fair... Even without insanity, the knives also simply give too much care."

"They're sharp and callous yet oh, so blunt. The knives that never succeed in her hunt. Here is her reality and there is a fantasy but she's got both so muddled up."

"Her love life is not much better: her heart is platonic for the witch, but let's not talk about her or wardrobes, let us see who she loves and will get her."

"She beats for the lion though they are friends and rivals that compete for the master. Won't this be a disaster? Two have fallen for the master! The master cares for no one but himself, he says! Yet they both want him to be their special someone."

"The lion does love the magician, though he saw the master first. Yet what is the worst is that he doesn't think he deserves either of them, he thinks he has to be completely human. Human. Human. Human. Isn't that always the case in the circus? How can we be completely human if we don't accept out differences. How do they not know how they identify? Why can't they be true to themselves? Why?"

"Sister, calm down. Watch your step. You don't want to make us fall on the ground. We're almost there so we must take care."

"I know, husband. I can feel the heat. My temper will cool, it is a simple feat. I only wish that our dearest mother could recover as easily. She is so down. She's crippled and frozen with a frown."

"Can you blame her? She has a broken heart. First her husband, then her son, now all of her other children are falling apart. Their injuries, their dilemma now was her fault. She cannot move on from the past and at last it is taking its toll. For our dearest mother released the beast, born from her own guilt and thought that she is needed the least. She feels like she's done nothing, even though she's been very involved with what's happening. She's tired and lonely."

"We must not forget the center of it all. Despite his facade and his strong guard, the ringmaster is depressed. What he'll do for the circus next is the real test."

"Yes. That is the test."

"Loves and Lies. Lies and Loves. What will succeed and what will help us proceed?"

"Now my wife, we're finally at the top of volcano. You may unveil your eyes now. Take off that cloth you despise and reveal your lovely eyes."

"Is this... Oh husband, you didn't have to do that! It's... It's... How ever did you manage to do this without my knowledge!"

"The lion helped me prepare this marvelous feast. When you were asleep, was when he hunted. It's a simple, romantic dinner for the two of us, like you always wanted."

"It's beautiful. My partner, I love you."

"I love you too, my partner. Your kisses are so sweet."

"It's younger than the other and not like 'that' one. Is this Charizard still alive?"

"You decide that. Here's the knife. Have some fun."

"I will, dearest! Watch the blade go! See how the blade run downs his neck? Hear how his screams crackle and die?"

"You have an excellent hand my sweet. Now shall we feast?"

"Happy Valentines' Day Popo. May eating this heart show our love and bind us together forever."

"Happy Valentines' Day Nana. Until death does us part."

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**The rebirth begins this Australian Autumn. Prepare yourselves for Arc 2.**

**Welcome to the revolution. The nightmare awaits.**

**Review**


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